Causes of Desertification

Desertification is a process caused over time by many human activites. These human activites include overfarming, overgrazing, deforesetation and slash-and-burn farming. These all lead to the increase in desert land. This is especially occuring at the transition zone in the Sahel.

Overgrazing is when farmers allow their cattle to graze on the land. This is a big problem because most of the time, the farmers keep their cattle in one specific area. The soil in this area is over time ridden of its nutrients.

Slash-and-Burn farming is another large contributor to desertification. When the land is burned, nutrients are destoyed in the soil which over time the soil turns to dust and accumulates to form more desert.