How does desertification affect Africa’s economy?
Desertification affects about 46 percent of Africa. … Agriculture in Africa tends to result in low productivity, as most of the land is characterized as a semi-desert. Clearing the land of trees also reduces the structure of the soil. Coupled with wind erosion, the topsoil blows away and leaves a desert-like land.
What are the effect of desertification on the economy?
The impact of desertification on the socio-economic life of rural households leads to reduction in crop and animal production, as well as causing, livestock deaths and rise in the prices of foodstuffs.
What are the effects of desertification in South Africa?
South Africa is losing about 300 to 400 million tons of topsoil every year. Areas such as the Northern Cape are especially prone to desertification. To halt desertification the number of animals on the land must be reduced, allowing plants to regrow.
What are the impacts of desertification in African continent?
The degradation of drylands in Africa is forcing people who can no longer make a living off the land to move to urban areas. According to the UN Population Division, the population of Lagos, Nigeria, will grow from 13.4 million in 2000 to 23.2 million in 2015, partly due to an influx of displaced rural communities.
What are three effects of desertification?
Higher food prices, water availability, violent conflicts for land, migration, increasing poverty, pollution from wind-blown dust particles coming from distant lands, could be the outcomes of desertification if we let it consume more of our planet.
How can desertification affect humans?
Land degradation and desertification can affect human health through complex pathways. 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. … the spread of infectious diseases as populations migrate.
What are negative effects of desertification?
Desertification affects topsoil, groundwater reserves, surface runoff, human, animal, and plant populations. Water scarcity in drylands limits the production of wood, crops, forage, and other services that ecosystems provide to our community.
What are the effects of drought and desertification on the economy?
Macroeconomic impacts
| Primary impacts | Secondary impacts |
|---|---|
| Water scarcity | Increased transport costs |
| Loss of jobs, income and property | Deepening poverty; increased unemployment |
| Less income from tourism and recreation | Increased capital shortfall |
| Forced financial loans | Increased debt; increased credit risk for financial institutions |
What are the economic impacts of drought?
Examples of economic impacts include farmers who lose money because drought destroyed their crops or ranchers who may have to spend more money to feed and water their animals. Economic impacts can be both direct, such as decreases in dairy production, and indirect, as seen by increases in the price of cheese.
What are effects of desertification?
“In many countries, desertification means a decline in soil fertility, a reduction in vegetation cover – especially grass cover – and more invasive shrub species. Practically speaking, the consequences of this are less available land for grazing, and less productive soils.
Why is desertification a huge problem in Africa?
It has been estimated that 319 million hectares of Africa are vulnerable to desertification hazards due to sand movement. … Deforestation exposes the soil to high temperatures which break down the organic matter, increase evaporation and make the soils vulnerable to erosion.
What is the importance of droughts and desertification in South Africa?
The significance of these problems in the region is demonstrated by outlining the impact that drought and desertification have on economic growth and poverty reduction, agriculture and food security, water, biodiversity, energy and migration.
What will happen if desertification continues?
Across the world, desertification affects the livelihoods of millions of people who rely on the benefits that dryland ecosystems can provide. … Some 10 to 20% of drylands are already degraded, and ongoing desertification threatens the world’s poorest populations and the prospects of poverty reduction.
How can desertification be prevented?
Preventive actions include:
- Integrating land and water management to protect soils from erosion, salinization, and other forms of degradation.
- Protecting the vegetative cover, which can be a major instrument for soil conservation against wind and water erosion.
What are causes of desertification?
‘Climatic variations’ and ‘Human activities’ can be regarded as the two main causes of desertification. removal of the natural vegetation cover（by taking too much fuel wood）, agricultural activities in the vulnerable ecosystems of arid and semi-arid areas, which are thus strained beyond their capacity.