Desertification

Desertification is, according to the most commonly used definition, "the process of fertile land being transformed into desert typically as a result of deforestation, drought or improper/inappropriate agriculture". Unfortunately, desertification is an ever-increasing problem as more and more water is used up for the growing population, less and less water is available for vegetation leading to the death of many plants in already dry regions. This loss of vegetation is one of the main causes of desertification as the roots can no longer bind the soil together. An area that has undergone the loss of vegetation will see an increase in erosion of the soil, leaving behind an infertile plain of land that is unusable.

 To stop desertification, in a sustainable way that will allow the communities of the effected areas to develop as normal, is a hard challenge to many governments. One of the best solutions so far is to grow the Jatropha Cactus, this cactus has long roots that bind soils together and when grown around crops, it creates a wall-like-barrier to stop water leaking out of the agricultural areas. To further that, the cactus produces oil that can be sold to provide extra incomes for farmers and the cactus when no longer needed, or dead, can be burnt to reduce the need for deforestation and thus reducing desertification even more.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia. The band of land across Central Africa that has very high vulnerability of desertification is called The Sahel and is one of the worst affected areas across the World.