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Desertification, the process by which natural or human causes reduce the biological productivity of drylands. Such declines may be the result of climate change, deforestation, overgrazing, poverty, political instability, unsustainable irrigation practices, or combinations of these factors.
Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities. This spread of arid areas is caused by a variety of factors, such as overexploitation of soil as a result of human activity and the effects of climate change.
This article shares details on the meaning of desertification, the 7 different causes behind desertification, and the harmful effects of desertification like an increase in poverty, hunger, fall in farm outputs, etc.
May 31, 2019 · About 2 billion people live on the drylands that are vulnerable to desertification, which could displace an estimated 50 million people by 2030. Where is desertification happening, and why?
Aug 3, 2022 · What Is Desertification? Desertification has a few varying definitions, but mostly centres around semi-arid, sub-humid lands; in simple terms, it can be described as areas with low or variable rainfall. In addition, there is also the added element of human-induced land degradation owing to an expanding population and rampant deforestation.
Desertification aggravates existing economic, social, and environmental problems like poverty, poor health, lack of food security, biodiversity loss, water scarcity, forced migration, and lowered resilience to climate change or natural disasters.
Despite its evocative name, desertification isn’t the march of sand dunes through inhabited areas. Rather, it is the permanent degradation of previously fertile land. Human causes of desertification include overgrazing, the buildup of salt in irrigated soils, and topsoil erosion.
