Destructive desertification
...sh and burn technique, which will do more harm to farmland by burning seeds and shrubs leftover from the harvest. By removing every inch of the crop, farmers leave their land vulnerable to wind and water erosion that affects the next year’s crop. Another reason why humans cause desertification is increased drought. Well managed lands can recover from drought when rains return, however continued land abuse throughout the drought increases the land degradation. A prime example of human destruction is the Nomads. They move around trying to escape the desert, but their land-use practices are bringing the desert with them. If humans would respect the land then they would find that desertification would decrease and their crop yields would increase. Effect of Desertification on Human Populations Desertification directly affects all of the human populations living where it occurs, and those who live in areas which are at risk. Desertification affects nearly one billion people, or one-sixth of the world’s population. Occurring in 70 percent of all drylands, one quarter of the total land area of the earth, desertification is responsible of the degradation of 73 percent of the world’s rangeland. Desertification causes widespread poverty, and is responsible for much of the migration in the developing world. This is mainly due to sand ruining crops, and the loss of nutrients in the soil, as well as siltation of wetlands and marine systems, destructing water sources. Desertification is especially severe in Africa, where 2/3 of the continent is desert or dry lands. Poor farming techniques have been used for centuries here, and the result is that 73 percent of it’s agricultural drylands are already seriously or moderately degraded. Asia is another continent affected by desertification, it has the largest amount of land affected, just under 1400 million hectares. Desertification causes countries to become more dependant on foreign food production, it also contributes a loss of traditional knowledge of land in the areas abandoned. Prevention Measures: Rehabilitating the Land One prevention measure for desertification is planting a green belt of vegetation along the edge of the Sahel zone to protect farmers land from the Sahara. Vegetation protects the environment, so that little wind and water erosion occurs. Farmers can also stabilize their environment by intercropping edible perennials with annuals, the perennials will act as anchors and stabilize the soil against wind and water erosion. To monitor the spreading of desertification, satellites have begun to provide global monitoring of desertification in the last 25 years. Landsite images have also been taken of the same a...