Desertification

Desertification 1. What is desertification' Desertification can be defined as ‘land degradation in drylands resulting from human actions. In other words, desertification is the loss of soil and its productivity in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world mainly due to its overuse by humans. Desertification is taking place all over the world. 20 million square kilometres of land are degraded every year and this affects over 280 million people. 2. How is desertification caused' Both natural processes and socio-economic processes can cause desertification. Natural processes | Socio-economic processes | --The occurrence of droughts (Could last for several years)--High rate of evapotranspiration caused by high temperature. (High rate of moisture loss from soil)--Compacted soil caused by infrequent and often intense period of rainfall. (Increasing soil erodibility) | --Overgrazing - Vegetation change - Reduced soil quality as it becomes more vulnerable to erosion -Decrease in health and productivity of livestock--Overcultivation -To support increasing population -To grow cash crops for sale --Deforestation and excessive fuelwood cutting --Inappropriate irrigation practices (salinization and waterlogging) | 3. What are the problems' * Lack of technical knowledge and the use of non-local techniques. (e.g. incorrect seeding, lack of herbicides and the damaging effect of heavy rains.) * Government being centralized in their approach to measures while poor people living in marginal, ‘less visible’ areas were overlooked. * Radical proposals required major governmental policy changes which proved difficult to impose. * Measure did not take local, cultural and socio-economic needs into account when they have been carried out, alienating local communities. * Aid from donor countries was not directed properly, * Use of resources was not planned well enough, leaving many projects unfinished. * After initial treatment, interest in dealing with the problem waned while the underlying problem still existed. 4.What are the solutions' For each of the causes of desertification, there are measures that could be taken to reduce the harmful effect they have on the environment and thus control desertification. * Crop production -Increase the use of organic fertilisers -Improve cropping and irrigation systems * Livestock management -Improve the quality of animal by disease control and selective breeding -Improve rangelands by reseeding, allowing regeneration time and planting new fodder crops -Introduce regional livestock raising schemes * Forestry management -Protect existing trees -Improve household stoves to reduce wood consumption -Introduce other energy sources such as solar power. * Water and land management -Improve irrigation schemes by redesign -Increase incidence of windbreaks * Socio-economic factors -Education to expand local awareness of desertification and to inform people of the skills to combat it -Improve health services