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For example, temperature increase by 1.5–2.1 percent across the Nile Basin over the next 30–40 years could change the region from semi-arid to arid, significantly reducing the land usable for agriculture. In addition, changes in land use can increase demands on soil water and thereby increase aridity. [6]
Aridification is the process of a region becoming increasingly arid, or dry.It refers to long term change, [1] rather than seasonal variation. It is often measured as the reduction of average soil moisture content.
Desertification is a gradual process of increased soil aridity.Desertification has been defined in the text of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) as "land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid regions resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities."
Areas that meet that definition now cover 40.6% of all land on Earth, excluding Antarctica. And an additional 3% of the world’s currently humid areas are projected to become arid by the end of ...
Desertification has substantial economic consequences in Africa, particularly in places where agriculture and natural resource utilization are the predominant sources of revenue. Desertification reduces crop yields, causes food shortages, and increases poverty in impacted populations by destroying fertile land and water supplies.
Desert farming is the practice of developing agriculture in deserts. As agriculture depends upon irrigation and water supply, farming in arid regions where water is scarce is a challenge. However, desert farming has been practiced by humans for thousands of years. In the Negev, there is evidence to suggest agriculture as far back as 5000 BC. [1]
The livelihoods of millions of people in developing countries depend highly on dryland biodiversity to ensure their food security and their well-being. Drylands, unlike more humid biomes, rely mostly on above ground water runoff for redistribution of water, and almost all their water redistribution occurs on the surface. [4]
Dryland farming caused a large dust storm in parts of Eastern Washington on October 4, 2009. Courtesy: NASA/GSFC, MODIS Rapid Response [1]. Dryland farming has evolved as a set of techniques and management practices to adapt to limited availability of water, as in the Western US and other regions affected by climate change for crops such as tomato and maize.