Talking about desertification nowadays proves more than relevant. In the Anthropocene, factors such as climate change, pollution, deforestation, intensive farming and livestock breeding are exacerbating the risk of desertification worldwide. Nevertheless, there are some solutions to desertification. We talked about them with Guido Cencini, expert agronomist and LCA & Forestry strategist at zeroCO2.
What is desertification?
When we talk about desertification, our mind tends to link this phenomenon with the image of a hot desert with sand, dunes, sunshine and aridity, such as the Sahara desert. However, this association between the desert and desertification turns out to be a partial and inaccurate simplification of a much more complex process.
Desertification consists of the continuous and progressive soil degradation due to the loss of organic material or humus that makes it fertile. If these nutrients are lacking, the soil dries and dies, turning into a desert. This process causes loss of biodiversity and land suitable for cultivation, forests, and other productive activities. Thus, the desert is the point of no return, the final and irreversible result of the desertification process of a given area.
As Guido Cencini, our LCA & Forestry strategist at zeroCO2, points out, the lands suffering from desertification are always areas already considered already at risk, i.e. where activities such as deforestation, intensive agriculture, livestock farming or urbanisation have been carried out in an uncontrolled and irresponsible way, leading to soil degradation.
Causes of desertification
Intensive agriculture and livestock farming increase soil aridity, thus leading to soil degradation. However, the risk of desertification is considerably aggravated by climate change. The World Atlas of Desertification is a valuable source of information and data about soil degradation and contains a series of specific maps for each of the causes of desertification.
