Desertification

Primary reference(s)

UNCCD, 2017. UNCCD Terminology: Desertification. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Accessed 19 October 2020.

Additional scientific description

Desertification and land degradation are very serious challenges. They lead to hunger and poverty, drive unemployment, forced migration and conflict, while increasing the risk of extreme weather related to climate change (FAO, 2020a).

The most widely accepted definition in China for desertification is that given by Zhu et al. (1989, cited by FAO, 1997). Zhu describes desertification as the degradation process in environments similar to that of deserts consisting of blown and undulating sand sheets and mobile dunes which occurs when fragile ecosystems such as those with loose sandy surfaces in arid semi-arid and sub-humid zones are exposed to drought and frequent wind. This process reduces biomass productivity and arable land. The environmental changes caused by desertification produce desert-like landscapes in aboriginal non-desert areas or steppes (FAO, 1997).

Desertification is a silent, invisible crisis that is destabilising communities on a global scale. As the effects of climate change undermine livelihoods, inter-ethnic clashes are breaking out within and across states and fragile states are turning to militarisation to control the situation (UNCCD, 2014).

The effects of desertification are increasingly felt globally as victims turn into refugees, internally displaced people and forced migrants or they turn to radicalisation, extremism or resource-driven wars for survival. If peace, security and international stability are to be restored in a context where changing weather events are threatening the livelihoods of increasing numbers of people, survival options are declining and state capacities are overburdened, then more should be done to combat desertification, reverse land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought. Otherwise, many small-scale farmers and poor, land dependent communities face two choices: fight or flight (UNCCD, 2014).

In 2008, food insecurity triggered riots in over 30 countries. Drylands, which make up nearly 34% of the land mass and are a major source of food security especially for the poor, are being degraded daily (UNCCD, 2014).

It is estimated that 135 million people are at risk of being displaced by desertification. The problem is most severe in sub- Saharan Africa, particularly in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa (UNCCD, 2014).

A total of 842 million people, or about one in eight people in the world, were estimated to be suffering from chronic hunger in 2011–2013 and 12 million hectares of productive land become barren every year due to desertification and drought alone, which is a lost opportunity to produce 20 million tons of grain.

Agricultural yields could fall by up to 50% in some African countries if production practices are not changed (UNCCD, 2014).

Metrics and numeric limits

Key facts from Action Against Desertification: land degradation affects almost 2 billion ha of land worldwide, home to 1.5 billion people; every year, 24 billion tons of fertile soils are lost due to erosion; and 12 million ha of land are degraded each year – this is 23 ha per minute (FAO, 2020a).

Examples of drivers, outcomes and risk management

At the UN General Assembly in 2012, desertification, land degradation and drought were addressed in the Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 27 July 2012 (UNGA, 2012). Two quotes of particular relevance are included here:

“We stress that desertification, land degradation and drought are challenges of a global dimension and continue to pose serious challenges to the sustainable development of all countries, in particular developing countries.”

“We recognize the need for urgent action to reverse land degradation. In view of this, we will strive to achieve a land-degradation neutral world in the context of sustainable development. This should act to catalyse financial resources from a range of public and private sources”.

Over 2 billion ha of land have potential for recovery through restoration approaches that combine activities like forestry with farmland re-vegetation. The restoration of over 5 million ha of land by communities that live across Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali has reversed outward migration flows (UNCCD, 2014).

Action Against Desertification (started in 2014) is an initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) to restore drylands and degraded lands in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific to tackle the detrimental social, economic and environmental impact of land degradation and desertification (FAO, 2020b).

Action Against Desertification supports local communities, government and civil society in six African countries – Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal – as well as Fiji and Haiti to restore degraded land and to manage fragile ecosystems in a sustainable way. It is using a mix of the following activities (FAO, 2020b):

• Land restoration: putting rural communities at the heart of restoration and upscaling interventions to meet the massive needs.
• Non-timber forest products: support economic growth and sustainable management of natural resources.
• Capacity development: strengthening capacities in sustainable land management and land restoration.
• Monitoring and evaluation: collecting data, keeping track of progress, measuring impact.
• Information sharing: knowledge exchange and awareness raising about land degradation and desertification.
• South-south cooperation: sharing lessons learned on how to reverse land degradation.

In sub-Saharan Africa where half a billion inhabitants are rural, the majority lives off the land and desertification is a constant threat to their livelihoods. More than 1.5 billion people in the world depend on degraded land for their livelihoods, and 74% of them are poor. Under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the international legal framework for tackling desertification, land degradation and drought, 169 of its 194 Parties have declared that they are affected by desertification.

Key results to date from Action Against Desertification (FAO, 2020c) are summarised in the table:

Action Against Desertification is a key partner of the Great Green Wall initiative, Africa’s flagship programme to combat the effects of climate change and desertification across North Africa, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa (FAO, 2020b).