How does desertification affect food production?

As land is degraded and deserts expand in some places, food production is reduced, water sources dry up and populations are pressured to move to more hospitable areas.

How does desertification affect crop production?

Decrease in Crop Yields A major effect of desertification is the decrease in crop yields. Once land turns from arable to arid, it is often on longer suitable for farming purposes anymore. In turn, many farmers may lose their livelihood, since they often solely rely on farming as their single source of income.

How does farming practices cause desertification?

One of the most important causes of desertification, especially in arid and semi-arid regions of the world, is improper activities in agriculture. Dense and improper cultivation of crops reduce soil structure stability and lead to soil degradation and erosion [28].

What are examples of desertification?

Additional savannas, grasslands, and woodlands are common indications of desertification in arid and semi-arid areas. Well-known examples of this occurrence include, Europe’s Adriatic Sea, the Middle-East’s Saharan desert, and China’s Taklamakhan Desert. Sand dunes are formed in the Sahara Desert in the image above.

What are the effects of desertification?

CONSEQUENCES OF DESERTIFICATION Loss of biodiversity by worsening the living conditions of many species. Food insecurity due to crop failure or reduced yields. The loss of vegetation cover and therefore of food for livestock and humans. Increased risk of zoonotic diseases, such as COVID-19.

What are the causes and effects of desertification?

Human activities, including deforestation and the overexploitation of aquifers, accelerate desertification. The effects of climate change, which is also driven by humans, and the destruction it causes in the form of extreme weather phenomena such as droughts, hurricanes, fires, etc.

What is an example of desertification?

How does agriculture cause deforestation?

Cattle ranching, animal agriculture, and logging are the leading causes of deforestation in our forests. The forest is cut to provide timber to build houses and create specialty wood products, or burned to make room for cattle grazing and feed crop production.