Desertification: The Causes and Methods of Reducing It

Abstract

Desertification is a mobile geographical phenomenon that acts on the degradation of the ecosystem and the environment acquires the characteristics of the desert. The problem of desertification is closely linked to some of the contemporary environmental problems such as the problem of population explosion, the problem of urban inflation, and the problem of using marginal lands in agriculture, which doubles production to meet the needs of the growing consumer population. The exploitation of resources and the depletion and neglect of methods of conservation and land degradation in the production over time and some become unable to production. But this phenomenon has grown recently until it became a global problem. The results of the study showed that desertification is due to a range of natural factors such as climatic conditions and a range of human factors. Desertification has affected environmental diversity and economic and social stability. Countries and organizations have begun to develop a series of plans and programs to address and combat these phenomena. The drylands, which are affected by desertification, cover about one-third of the Earth's surface. Information indicates that nearly 785 million people, 18% of the Earth's population, live in these areas and will suffer from the negative effects of desertification. Approximately 70,000 hectares of agricultural land are harvested annually due to desertification.