Reducing the Risk of Desertification
Geography: AQA GCSE, topic 2.3.8
Reducing the Risk of Desertification
Reducing desertification risk can be achieved through a number of strategies, including:
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).
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.
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.
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.
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What are the strategies for reducing desertification risk?