The day is observed every year in accordance with United Nations General Assembly to promote public awareness about the causes and effect of land degradation, desertification, and drought as well as highlight efforts to combat these challenges.

The celebration also focused on changing public attitude to the leading driver of desertification and land degradation which is as a result of relentless production and consumption patterns.

According to available statistics, the lives of close to half the population on the planet are affected by land degradation and as the global population continues to grow wealthier and more urban, so do demand on land to provide food, animal feed and fibre for clothing.

Available information has it that 35 per cent of Ghana's land is under threat of desertification due to negative activities such as deforestation, unsustainable land use practices, wildfires, the use of agro-chemicals, and overgrazing.

The Ghanaian Times is concerned that without a concerted effort to protect the land, we may in the near future not have enough food to eat and clothes to wear and that would be the signal of the end of the world.