Academic literature on the topic 'Desertification Africa'

Another critical problem for Africa, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa is that of desertification. The crisis of desertification in the Sahel and other dryland regions of Africa increases exponentially, that is, its effects are incrementally debilitating. Each year of delay in dealing with this problem in an effective way, using available technology and resources, moves the problem further beyond our capacity to handle it. Furthermore, desertification has many direct and indirect effects on, among others, food production, land use, transport, housing, and weather patterns, further compounding the problem. The scale of the problem is enormous, and neither African governments nor international organizations organizations have mounted an effective response. The problem of desertification in Africa is, however, to a great extent, a tale of opportunities missed. The application of existing technology and resources has encountered obstacles and resistance, while potential resources have failed to materialize.

It is noted that the number of more or less permanently displaced persons throughout the world (now of the order of 1% of the total human population) continues to increase at a rate of approximately 3 millions per year; the situation in Africa is especially grave, with the number of displaced persons there (now of the order of 3% of the African population), continuing to increase at a rate of approximately 1.5 million per year. Human displacement — which can be seen to originate largely in rural areas — results primarily from one or more of three factors, namely escape from persecution, escape from military activities, or escape from inadequate means of subsistence. A number of examples from Africa are provided of the social and political consequences of human displacement, with emphasis on conflict situations at the sites of relocation.It is further noted that the numbers of displaced persons continue to grow relentlessly despite there being no discernible rise in persecution or military activities, and despite the long-sustained ameliorative efforts and financial assistance by intergovernmental agencies and others.It is accordingly suggested that the major cause of the continuing increase in the numbers of displaced persons is an ever-growing imbalance between population numbers and the human carrying capacity of the land. Population increases lead to smaller per caput natural resource bases, a predicament exacerbated by over-use — and thus degradation — of the land and its natural resources. In the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa, over-use of the land most often takes the form of overgrazing, leading to land degradation that is severe enough to be referred to as desertification. It is concluded that to achieve sustainable utilization of the land and its natural resources will necessitate the integrated attainment of environmental security and societal security — the latter inter alia requiring participatory governance, non-violent means of conflict resolution, and especially population controls.

AbstractThe people oFf Africa are exposed to a wide range of disasters that seriously have aggravated the Continent's economic situation. Economic losses and human sufferings from drought, desertification, locust infestation, infectious diseases, epidemics, and armed conflicts are the dominant disasters that the people in the African countries face, and they have rendered the population utterly vulnerable. Disasters have aggravated Africa's economic situation. The cumulative effect of disasters include loss of property, injury, death, mounting food import bills, health hazards, environmental degradation, backward economic development, displaced people, refugees, and nutritional deficiency.Today, 175 million Africans out of a total population of 744 million people (23.5%) are suffering from chronic hunger; this is an increase of 50% from 25years ago. In many African countries, up to half of the population suffers from absolute poverty. It is projected that Africa will be the only Continent to continue with the current level of poverty for another decade.

Desertification refers to the degradation of land. In the process, biological productivity is lost. This can occur for many reasons, including natural processes and human activities. It is difficult, if not impossible, to grow crops and fodder on land where desertification has occurred as the land is unfertile. This is a growing problem in countries around the world. The impact is particularly significant when desertification occurs in countries where semi-arid regions are located, as these are the places where vast quantities of plants are grown. With the demand for food on the rise as the human population continues to grow, this is becoming a bigger and bigger issue. Professor Shuichi Oyama, Centre for African Area Studies (CAAS), Kyoto University, Japan, is interested in the unequal arrangement between rural residents who grow food and city residents who consume food, which is one of the factors leading to desertification. He is keen to redress the imbalance of nutrients and prevent and reverse desertification in order that crops and fodder can be replenished and the future of civilisation protected. Oyama's focus is on regreening land where desertification has occurred, as well as cleaning up cities across the Sahel, West Africa. This involves returning organic waste, including animal manure and plant residue, from cities to degraded land in rural areas, where it can help replenish the chemical, physical and biological soil properties. The research is expected to positively impact food production and the fertility of land, as well as reaping societal benefits such as preventing ethnic conflicts among farmers and herders in central Sahel.