Fwd: "Paradigm Problem" No mention of regenerative grazing or even the word soil in UNCCD Desertification and Drought Day (June 17) communications

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Seth Itzkan

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Jun 6, 2025, 9:05:32 AMJun 6
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---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Seth Itzkan <seth....@soil4climate.org>
Date: Fri, Jun 6, 2025 at 9:02 AM
Subject: "Paradigm Problem" No mention of regenerative grazing or even the word soil in UNCCD Desertification and Drought Day (June 17) communications


Hello Friends,

This is what I call a "paradigm problem."

There is no mention of regenerative grazing or even use of the word "soil" in any of the email announcements, website pages, or linked media assets I purviewed for this month's upcoming UNCCD Desertification and Drought Day (June 17), themed “Restore the land. Unlock the оpportunities."



To me, this is unthinking and emblematic of a deeper issue impacting all of us.

The only references at all to livestock that I could find, was first of a cow skull in a media asset available here. https://trello.com/c/NRM4ngrW/9-the-urgent-challenge-of-land-degradation

image.png

And, then on the Land Management and Restoration page, where there was recognition that we can apply "organic manures" to crop fields. That's it. From the page.

"Some of these techniques include:
  1. planting trees
  2. rotating crops
  3. using water retention techniques such as building retention ditches and cut-off drains
  4. applying organic manures and mineral fertilizers"
Why wasn't there an image of a large and tightly packed mix-species herd moving across well delineated paddocks, creating restored soil and grass in the process? Shouldn't *that* be the dominant message and visual asset (or, at least, one of them)?

There are billions of hectares of degrading semi-arid and seasonal-rainfall lands around the world that co-evolved with prodigious herds of ruminant grazers, and, in 2025, after nearly 60 years of demonstrable regenerative grazing, the best the UNCCD can come up with in its communications about how to deal with the issue is to plant trees, rotate crops, retain water, and apply organic manures? Really?

We'll need to do much better than this to have any chance of preventing global famine and runaway climate change.

In response, Soil4Climate is looking for organizational partners to join us in creating our own virtual Desertification and Drought Day event for Tuesday, June 17. We can call it something to the effect of, "Livestock to the Rescue: How Well-managed Ruminants Will be Central to Reversing Desertification and Assuring Food Security."

Kindly contact me if you would like to help organize or participate in this event and / or, have thoughts to contribute to this matter.

Thank you in advance,

- Seth


--
Seth J. Itzkan

Join the global movement of scientists, practitioners, and engaged citizens working to make soil a climate solution.
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--
Seth J. Itzkan

Cofounder, Soil4Climate Inc.
Join the global movement of scientists, practitioners, and engaged citizens working to make soil a climate solution
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