Land+Degradation

Land Degradation

Land degradation, which is commonly referred to as desertification, is the loss of productivity (decline in quality) in all kinds of soils. It is mainly the result of unsustainable farming techniques and forest management practices (these are both human induced, natural hazards are excluded as a cause). It can also have very harmful results such as environmental deterioration, famine and water scarcity- particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Other problems, such as poverty can be linked to land degradation. This is because the main people who are affected by the land degradation are the rural poor, who commonly depend on land for their survival. It can cause conflict among people too, since it often creates competition for the few natural resources that remain. This makes the land become even more infertile, and hope for healthy soil gets pushed away along with the poverty of the people surrounding the land. If they continue to attempt to grow on this land, the land will continue to get worse and will not be able to grow anything. Land degradation is also an increasing issue because about a quarter of the world depends directly on land that is being degraded. Ten percent of all grassland, twenty percent of cultivated areas, and thirty percent of forests, are all going through degradation. Since 1991, many new areas have been affected by land degradation. Some areas have been affected so badly that they have been abandoned or managed with little success of productivity. A well known example of land degradation is the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s. The name “Dust Bowl” was created by the people who lived in the drought-stricken region during the great depression. This period was also known as the “ Dirty Thirties” due to the many blizzards, floods, tornadoes, droughts, and dirt storms. The reason for the poor soil in the 30’s was due mainly to the plowing that many farmers did after 1926 (when there was a great crop of wheat, which was beneficial to farmers since it made them a lot of money). The lands were planted year after year to grow wheat. There was no consideration of what damage was being done to the soil. A lot of grassland that could not handle being plowed, was plowed and this did great damage to the soil. It was this behavior that started off the “Dust Bowl”. In 1931 many farmers abandoned their crops and many others became very poor. 1934-1936 marked three record drought years for the nation. The drought years were accompanied by record breaking rains, blizzards, tornadoes, and floods. There was also a very large dust storm that damages many buildings. It is important to be aware of the great damage that land degradation can cause. We can look at the “Dust Bowl” of the 1930’s as a warning, and try to stay away from those kind of results again. All results of land degradation are negative and can spread into very serious issues that may not be reversible.

http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2008/1000874/index.html http://www.ccccok.org/museum/dustbowl.html http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/CIDAWEB/acdicida.nsf/En/JUD-1118165457-TPW