Issues pertaining to land are of greatest concern in regions where food security is a priority, notably in Africa and West Asia. Land availability, abatement of land degradation, and efficient land management are driven by the food security demands of growing populations, which result in expanded cultivation and agricultural intensification-unless met by food trade.

In countries with limited economic resources, the food trade option is not generally sufficient to cover the magnitude of growing needs. Rapid introduction and adoption of intensification technologies are also limited by economic and cultural complexities, leaving the expansion of cultivation into marginal lands and wilderness areas as the prime short- to medium-term option for increasing production. As a consequence, forests, woodlands, or grasslands are destroyed or degraded and natural ecosystems are fragmented, with negative impacts on biodiversity. Poor land management further increases susceptibility of soils to erosion, reduces moisture retention, and accelerates leaching of nutrients. Degradation feeds back into a cycle of declining productivity and, in the worst cases, desertification or the irreversible degeneration of marginal lands.

Considerable anxiety still remains in several regions (Africa, Asia-Pacific, and West Asia) where there is a relative scarcity of land per capita and land quality is poor. Waterlogging, salinization, and erosion (by both wind and water) of soil resources are of special concern, while desertification remains a serious worry in the drier zones of the regions. Loss of limited agricultural land to alternative uses is another particular concern in West Asia.
Human-made fire influences land degradation in the woodlands and grasslands of Africa, and the problem is complicated by long-established cultural practices. The residual impacts of civil conflict in Africa also pose problems regarding the availability and degradation of land. Significant tracts of land remain effectively inaccessible due to the widespread laying of mines during past military conflicts and the environmental impact of refugees is substantial in a number of countries.

Limited land availability is also of particular concern to small island states world-wide. Land degradation through erosion and significant desertification of drylands in the past is an ongoing problem in Latin America. Despite the remaining high number of natural ecosystems in Latin America, unrestrained expansion of the agricultural frontier there could have serious impacts on wilderness areas.

In Europe, problems of land degradation relate mainly to irreversible erosion, acidification, and pollution of soils and the subsequent economic impacts. Generally speaking, soil degradation is no longer a priority concern in North America, given the widespread adoption of conservation-based farming practices. More attention is placed on problems relating to land pollution, and water contamination. Improving poor agricultural practices, where evident, is vigorously targetted in order to reduce erosion and productivity losses.