France, Aug. 19 -- The summit's theme is "Restoring Land, Restoring Hope" and delegates are expected to discuss ways to tackle drought and land degradation, including the Riyadh Global Drought Resilience Partnership launched at Cop16 in Saudi Arabia in 2024.

Under the initiative, €10.3 billion was pledged over seven years to help 74 vulnerable countries cope with drought and restore degraded land.

Jean-Luc Chotte, a soil expert at France's National Research and Development Institute (IRD) and chair of the French Scientific Committee on Desertification, spoke to RFI about the causes of land degradation and why agroecology is increasingly being seen as part of the solution.

RFI: What does the term "desertification" actually mean? ...