Desertification and sustainable development

The problem of Desertification can only be controlled but can never be stopped as it is as a result of twin combination of natural and anthropogenic factors. Natural factors such as poor physical condition of the soil and extreme climatic variability causes desertification in dry lands. Soils in the desert areas (an area which has […]

The problem of Desertification can only be controlled but can never be stopped as it is as a result of twin combination of natural and anthropogenic factors.
Natural factors such as poor physical condition of the soil and extreme climatic variability causes desertification in dry lands. Soils in the desert areas (an area which has lost or is losing its biological potentials) are mostly sandy in nature and therefore do not have the capacity to retain moisture and have poor organic matter content to support plant growth. It is also a fact that most areas in the North Eastern and North Western Nigeria record a very low amount of annual rainfall, in some areas it is below 300mm per annum in addition to poor distribution of rainfall.
Whereas anthropogenic factors like deforestation, over exploitation of land, bush burning, over grazing, poor irrigation practices also causes and accelerates the desertification process, the problem of desertification is global, as it affects all regions of the world and it does not require visa to cross from one country to another.
About 1/3 of the earth surface is being threatened by desertification that is about 400million hectares (Ha) of land or nearly 40 million square kilo metres. In Nigeria, various forms of land degradation accounts for the loss of more than 1/3 of its land area.
 Globally, 12million hectares of this fragile, non renewable, common wealth (fertile soil) that provide us with food is lost every year due to desertification whereas here in Nigeria, experts have estimated the loss of over 21,000sq Km to  desertification annually.
 Desertification at global perspective is threatening the livelihood of about 2 billion people and in Nigeria more than 33% of its population are directly or indirectly affected by the menace.
Land degradation as a result of desertification brings about so many social, political and economic evils that can spiral into conflicts and lead to acute poverty situations and more degradation of land.    
The high rate of poverty, rural- urban migration, prevalence of diseases in the 11 desert frontline states in Nigeria, could be due to land degradation as a result of desertification. The soil has became unproductive and has lost its biological potentials to support life. Therefore it is practically difficult to grow crops or have grazing land for animals, and major occupations of the people living in the desertified areas are farming and cattle rearing.
  In this respect, it is worthy to commend the efforts of the 11 African countries (Djibouti, Eriteria, Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad, Niger, Nigeria, Mali, BurkinaFaso, Mauritania and Senegal  ) and African Union (AU) to establish the Great Green Wall (GGW) which is 7775 kilometer in length, 15 kilometer wide, covering a total area of 11,662,500 hectares of land. The GGW is aimed at limiting desertification of the Sahel zone from Djibouti in the Horn of Africa in the east, across the continent to Dakar, Senegal, in the west. Nigerian government has flagged off its component of the Great Green Wall recently at Bachaka Town in Kebbi state and has made provision of sourcing and planting 10 million tree seedlings this year in an effort to ensure the success of the programme. In the same vein, the National Assembly is making effort to establish National Commissions on Desertification and Erosion Control in no distant future.
This article was contributed by Umar Danladi Dahiru of the Africa Desertification Control Initiative.