More than 1.5 million hectares of soil spread over all continents contain too much salt to be fertile, causing problems for global agricultural production.  

The information is from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO, which was organizing a virtual symposium this Friday.

According to the agency about 1.5 billion people who try to grow their own food live in these areas where the soils are too salty. And this has implications for the quality and biodiversity of the soils, thus contributing to erosion, says the agency.

The "salinization of soils," says the FAO, threatens food security by damaging crops and the quality of what is planted.  

According to FAO this process happens when there is an increase of water soluble salts and that sodification means an increase of high sodium content. These two effects on soils are among the most serious global threats to arid and semi-arid regions.  

The FAO says that adopting sustainable land management practices, greater political commitment, and promoting technological innovation are some examples of measures that can be taken.

During the Global Symposium on Salt-Affected Soils, more than 3,000 participants share knowledge about preventing the problem, debate climate change, and also ecosystem restoration. 

Source UN News