How does desertification relate to farming and food production?
Desertification is a land degradation process that occurs in drylands. It affects the land’s capacity to supply ecosystem services, such as producing food or hosting biodiversity, to mention the most well known ones. Desertification involves many environmental and socio-economic aspects. …
How does desertification affect farmers in Africa?
Desertification affects about 46 percent of Africa. Agriculture in Africa tends to result in low productivity, as most of the land is characterized as a semi-desert. Clearing the land of trees also reduces the structure of the soil. Coupled with wind erosion, the topsoil blows away and leaves a desert-like land.
How does desertification affect people’s lives?
Land degradation and desertification can affect human health through complex pathways. As land is degraded and deserts expand in some places, food production is reduced, water sources dry up and populations are pressured to move to more hospitable areas. the spread of infectious diseases as populations migrate.
What are 7 consequences of desertification?
In addition, the delegates considered the varied consequences of desertification, such as crop failures or decreased yields in rain-fed farmland, the loss of perennial plant cover and thus loss of forage for livestock, reduced woody biomass and thus scarcity of fuelwood and building materials, a decrease in potable …
Does fertilizer cause desertification?
The root cause of desertification is poor soil conservation leading to soil degradation. On the other hand, overuse of chemical fertilizers, failure to employ crop rotation and irresponsible irrigation practices rob the soil of the last of its nutrients.
Why is desertification a huge problem in Africa?
It has been estimated that 319 million hectares of Africa are vulnerable to desertification hazards due to sand movement. Deforestation exposes the soil to high temperatures which break down the organic matter, increase evaporation and make the soils vulnerable to erosion.
What are 2 effects of desertification?
“In many countries, desertification means a decline in soil fertility, a reduction in vegetation cover – especially grass cover – and more invasive shrub species. Practically speaking, the consequences of this are less available land for grazing, and less productive soils.
What are 5 consequences of desertification?
Desertification affects topsoil, groundwater reserves, surface runoff, human, animal, and plant populations. Water scarcity in drylands limits the production of wood, crops, forage, and other services that ecosystems provide to our community.
What are the 5 causes of desertification?
Various Causes of Desertification
- Overgrazing.
- Deforestation.
- Farming Practices.
- Excessive Use of Fertilizers and Pesticides.
- Overdrafting of groundwater.
- Urbanization and Other Types of Land Development.
- Climate Change.
- Stripping the Land of Resources.
What are three effects of desertification?
Devastating Effects of Desertification
- Farming becomes next to impossible. If an area becomes a desert, then it’s almost impossible to grow substantial crops there without special technologies.
- Decrease in Crop Yields.
- Hunger.
- Flooding.
- Poor Water Quality.
- Overpopulation.
- Poverty.
- Biodiversity Loss.
What are the main causes of desertification?
The main causes of desertification include:
- Population growth – the population in some desert areas is increasing.
- Removal of wood – in developing countries, people use wood for cooking.
- Overgrazing – an increasing population results in larger desert areas being farmed.
What are the disadvantages of desertification?
What is the major cause of desertification?
‘Climatic variations’ and ‘Human activities’ can be regarded as the two main causes of desertification. removal of the natural vegetation cover（by taking too much fuel wood）, agricultural activities in the vulnerable ecosystems of arid and semi-arid areas, which are thus strained beyond their capacity.
How can desertification be prevented?
Preventive actions include:
- Integrating land and water management to protect soils from erosion, salinization, and other forms of degradation.
- Protecting the vegetative cover, which can be a major instrument for soil conservation against wind and water erosion.
What are the two effects of desertification?
How does desertification affect crop yield?
What are the main effects of desertification?
What is the main reason of desertification?
Overgrazing is the major cause of desertification worldwide. Other factors that cause desertification include urbanization, climate change, overuse of groundwater, deforestation, natural disasters, and tillage practices in agriculture that make soils more vulnerable to wind.
What are the 3 main causes of desertification?
How does desertification affect agriculture and the environment?
The effects of desertification on agriculture and the environment points to a larger issue; the health of the people. According to the World Health Organization, land degradation has a significant effect on the health of the land as well as the people that live in it.
What are the effects of desertification in Tunisia?
For example, in Jeffara, Tunisia, “desertification threatens around 52% of the land area suitable for agriculture, forestry and pasture farming.” Desertification in Jeffara has resulted in unusable forms of land with degrading soil, as well as salinization and water and wind erosion. These have all led to a loss of land productivity.
How is overgrazing and desertification related to each other?
Overgrazing and desertification have been always closely linked together. In dry regions, grass and other small vegetation is necessary to keep the soil in place to prevent erosion and further damage to the soil.
What can the EU do to help desertification?
EU agricultural policy can have an impact on the elements and drivers of desertification, for example, by promoting sustainable agriculture in the awareness that protecting farmland productivity is of interest to the public and farmers alike. In this Briefing • What is desertification?
The effects of desertification on agriculture and the environment points to a larger issue; the health of the people. According to the World Health Organization, land degradation has a significant effect on the health of the land as well as the people that live in it.
For example, in Jeffara, Tunisia, “desertification threatens around 52% of the land area suitable for agriculture, forestry and pasture farming.” Desertification in Jeffara has resulted in unusable forms of land with degrading soil, as well as salinization and water and wind erosion. These have all led to a loss of land productivity.
Is the EU acting on desertification and agriculture?
• Measuring and mapping desertification • Desertification and agriculture: a two-way relationship • Agricultural solutions to land degradation • Desertification and EU agriculture • Is the EU acting on desertification? EPRS | European Parliamentary Research Service
Overgrazing and desertification have been always closely linked together. In dry regions, grass and other small vegetation is necessary to keep the soil in place to prevent erosion and further damage to the soil.
