Desertification

• Desertification is a serious environmental issue that affects millions of people around the world.
• Desertification is the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, and inappropriate land use.
• This process occurs when the delicate balance of soil and vegetation is disrupted, leading to the loss of topsoil and the degradation of the ecosystem.
• Overgrazing by livestock, deforestation, and poor irrigation practices are major contributors to desertification.
• Unsustainable agricultural practices such as monoculture also play a significant role in desertification.
• The effects of desertification are far-reaching and can impact both the environment and Human Society.
• The loss of fertile land due to desertification can lead to reduced crop yields, which can in turn lead to food shortages and famine.
• Desertification can also lead to the displacement of populations as people are forced to migrate in search of water and food.
• Desertification can have a negative impact on biodiversity and increase the risk of natural disasters like dust storms.
• Sustainable land use practices such as conservation Agriculture and agroforestry, reforestation and afforestation projects, better water management practices including rainwater harvesting, and education and awareness raising campaigns can help prevent and mitigate the effects of desertification.
• The central plateau of Burkina Faso and the Maratti in Zinda regions of Niger are located in semi-arid lands between the Sahara Desert and the humid Savannah.
• Dry lands are one of the world's poorest regions characterized by a low precipitation of only hundred to three hundred millimetres a year.
• Dry lands have been plagued by droughts and food insecurity for centuries.
• In the dry season, insufficient rainfall results in water scarcity, low crop production, and the severe reduction in tree coverage.
• The loss of plants due to low biodiversity means crops are more susceptible to pests attacks.
• In the rainy season, intense bursts of precipitation can destroy and wash away the newly planted seeds and crops, a process called desertification.
• Desertification is when the land is degraded to an unusable state and people are forced to migrate to more prosperous areas.
• The semi-arid lands have one of the highest rates of birth in the world, contributing to increasingly aggressive means of harvesting and loss of soil fertility.
• Local farmers in cooperation with NGOs have come up with three solutions to restore degraded soils: farmers grow pits, piling the removed soil around the edges and filling it with organic matter; farmers use stones from contour bands, rows of stones placed at the same elevation to slow down the flow of water and prevent minerals from being washed off the fields; and farmers practice soil fertilization, selecting and protecting taller and straighter stems and removing unwanted stems and side branches regularly to avoid new sprouts competing for resources.
• These three methods have not only stopped the advancement of desertification but have successfully rehabilitated many thousands of hectares of soil and show a 40% increase in crop production already after the first year.
• The methods have spread rapidly through the countries, passing from one farmer to the next through open fairs and toured through schools.