New financing solutions are required to close the “massive gap” in funding to address farming land around the world turning to dust, the head of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has warned.

Speaking to The Independent , Yasmine Fouad, the former Egyptian environment minister who has served as UNCCD executive secretary since 2025, added that failing to tackle the world’s escalating degradation problem would see food crises get worse, while increasing the risk of conflict.

“Today, there is a massive gap between the finance available and the finance required, but closing that gap cannot rely on public budgets alone,” Ms Fouad said.…