A nexus approach to soil and land management

This article advocates for a 'nexus' approach to soil and land management to reverse the cycle of land degradation. It highlights that while agriculture is essential for feeding 7 billion people, it often causes the degradation of 24% of global land. The nexus approach seeks to replace the narrow focus on crop yields with a system that manages synergies and tradeoffs between water, energy, food, and natural resources.

• Agriculture is central to the challenge of providing food, energy, and water for 7 billion people, yet it simultaneously acts as a primary driver of biodiversity loss and the degradation of land and water.
• Global land degradation is significant, with 24% of the world's land and over one-third of cropland degraded, resulting in an annual loss of 12 million hectares to desertification or droughts. Conversely, the GLADA study indicates that approximately 16% of global land area, including 20% of croplands, is improving through measures such as land reclamation, forest plantations, and irrigation.
• A 'nexus' approach to management aims to move beyond the narrow focus on maximizing farm revenues and crop yields. Instead, it seeks to build synergies and reduce tradeoffs between natural resources (nutrients, carbon, water, land, soil), sectors (food, energy, water), and climate regulation, such as carbon sequestration, while accounting for externalities.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2013). A nexus approach to soil and land management. https://www.sei.org/publications/a-nexus-approach-to-soil-and-land-management/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. A nexus approach to soil and land management. 2013. https://www.sei.org/publications/a-nexus-approach-to-soil-and-land-management/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=A nexus approach to soil and land management |date=23 August 2013 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/a-nexus-approach-to-soil-and-land-management/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2013nexus, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{A nexus approach to soil and land management}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2013}, month = aug, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/a-nexus-approach-to-soil-and-land-management/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }