17.1.12

Reducing the Risk of Desertification

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Reducing the Risk of Desertification

Reducing desertification risk can be achieved through a number of strategies, including:

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Water management

  • Crops that aren't water-intensive should be grown in regions at risk of desertification. Lentils and olives don't need much water to grow.
  • Drip irrigation uses less water than surface irrigation (where loads of water is added on top of crops at one).
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Tree planting

  • As well as binding the soil, trees can shelter other crops from the wind and create areas of shade from the sun, which slows evaporation.
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Soil management

  • Allow areas of land to recuperate and restore their nutrients between seasons can increase the sustainability of farming.
  • Using compost and fertilisers can help to improve the fertility of soil.
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Using technology

  • The Qatar 2022 Football World Cup proposed using artificial clouds to create shade. However, this is likely to be a technologically difficult and expensive way to reduce desertification.
  • Fences to stop sand entering plots of crops is likely a cheaper way of using technology.

Reducing Risk of Desertification

Reducing desertification risk can be achieved through a number of strategies, including:

Illustrative background for Water managementIllustrative background for Water management ?? "content

Water management

  • Crops that aren't water-intensive should be selected.
  • Surface irrigation can erode the soil because this process involves lots of water being added at once. Using drip irrigation instead can reduce levels of soil erosion.
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Tree planting

  • Trees can stop the desert encroaching on farmland by stabilising sand.
  • Trees can protect soil from being eroded by wind.
  • Trees can provide shade for crops. This reduces the temperatures they are exposed to and therefore the rates of evaporation.
Illustrative background for Soil managementIllustrative background for Soil management ?? "content

Soil management

  • Allow areas of land to recover their nutrients in between grazing periods or before planting new crops.
  • Alternatively, crops that make use of different nutrients can be rotated so that no nutrient supplies ever run too low.
  • Extra nutrients can be added to soil using compost.
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Using appropriate/intermediate technology

  • Appropriate technology is sustainable and cheap, as well as being readily available and easily maintained.
    • E.g. sand fences or terraces that limit erosion and stabilise soil.

Jump to other topics

1Geography Skills

2Geology of the UK

3Geography of the World

4Development

5Weather & Climate

6The World of Work

7Natural Resources

8Rivers

9Coasts

10Glaciers

11Tectonics

12Climate Change

13Global Population & Inequality

14Urbanisation

15Ecosystems

16Life in an Emerging Country

17Analysis of Africa

18Analysis of India

19Analysis of the Middle East

20Analysis of Bangladesh

21Analysis of Russia

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