Can We Win The Race Against Desertification?

The first 200 words of this essay...

Can We Win The Race Against Desertification?

What is desertification?

Desertification is a process in which more of the land is becoming desert. It isn't becoming a major problem because the land is hot and dry, but it is becoming a problem because the soil is useless for growing crops. Desertification is most likely to happen when there isn't much rainfall.

Already around 10 percent to 20 percent of deserts around the world have been degraded to a certain extent. According to experts, around 1 percent to 6 percent of the people living in dry lands actually live in areas that have undergone desertification. However, due to overgrazing, over cultivation and a lot deforestation, more dry land areas are under threat of desertification, which is why we need to prevent this.

How can we prevent it?

* Planting trees- this reduces soil erosion, sand movement and traps soil moisture and to keep nutrient levels high in soil. We should do this because one of the main causes of desertification is unabated cutting of trees and planted. When this happens, the surface of the soil becomes dry and the top soil gets blown away