Desertification occurs when productive land is turned into non productive desert.
The areas most susceptible to desertification are semi-arid areas (areas bordering on deserts). 1/3 of the world's land surface is either arid or semi-arid; it is estimated that global warming will increase desert area by 17% in the next 100 years. Desertification affects 1/6 of the world population. Africa has suffered the most from the effects of desertification.
Causes of desertification are:
These factors, combined with climatic variations, such as prolonged drought increase the rate of desertification. Some causes of desertification can be blamed on poverty, while others are caused by modern technology, and not understanding what the consequences of it will be.
The main cause of desertification is overgrazing; fences prevent the movement of animals in response to food availability, which would naturally occur, and land degradation is the result. This also means that the land on which these animals graze will have to expand overtime, leading to additional land that will be deteriorated. Desertification is a major problem in developing countries. Most of these countries are semi-arid, and overpopulation forces people to use fragile land. Deforestation for fuelwood in these areas also leads to degradation. Although desertification is associated with LDC's, it is a widespread problem. Natural disasters, such as floods, and droughts can lead a large number of migrants to one area, which can overburden the land; Wars have the same effect on the land. A decline in population can actually result in land degradation, because there is an inadequate number of people to manage the land properly.