Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities.[2] This spread of arid areas is caused by a variety of factors, such as overexploitation of soil as a result of human activity and the effects of climate change.[3][4] Geographic areas most affected are located in Africa (Sahel region), Asia (Gobi Desert and Mongolia) and parts of South America. Drylands occupy approximately 40–41% of Earth's land area and are home to more than 2 billion people.[5] Effects of desertification include sand and dust storms, food insecurity, and poverty.
Methods of mitigating or reversing desertification include improving soil quality, greening deserts, managing grazing, and tree-planting (reforestation and afforestation).
Throughout geological history, the development of deserts has occurred naturally over long intervals of time.[6] The modern study of desertification emerged from the study of the 1980s drought in the Sahel.[7]
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