Desertification

Unique identifier / Notation

EN0206

Synonyms

Dryland degradation

Desertification refers to land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities (UNCCD, 2017).

Primary reference(s)

UNCCD, 2017. UNCCD Terminology: Desertification. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Accessed 21 January 2025.

Annotations

Additional scientific description

Desertification and land degradation are very serious challenges. They lead to hunger and poverty, drive unemployment, forced migration and conflict, while increasing the risk of extreme weather related to climate change (FAO, 2020a).

The most widely accepted definition in China for desertification is that given by Zhu et al. (1989, cited by FAO, 1997). Zhu describes desertification as the degradation process in environments similar to that of deserts consisting of blown and undulating sand sheets and mobile dunes which occurs when fragile ecosystems such as those with loose sandy surfaces in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid zones are exposed to drought and frequent wind. This process reduces biomass productivity and arable land. The environmental changes caused by desertification produce desert-like landscapes in aboriginal non-desert areas or steppes (FAO, 1997).

Desertification is a silent, invisible crisis that is destabilising communities on a global scale. As the effects of climate change undermine livelihoods, inter-ethnic clashes are breaking out within and across states, and fragile states are turning to militarisation to control the situation (UNCCD, 2014).

In 2008, food insecurity triggered riots in over 30 countries. Drylands, which make up nearly 34% of the land mass and are a major source of food security especially for the poor, are being degraded daily (UNCCD, 2014).

It is estimated that 135 million people are at risk of being displaced by desertification. The problem is most severe in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa (UNCCD, 2014).

A total of 842 million people, or about one in eight people in the world, were estimated to be suffering from chronic hunger in 2011-2013 and 12 million hectares of productive land become barren every year due to desertification and drought alone, which is a lost opportunity to produce 20 million tonnes of grain (UNCCD, 2014).

Agricultural yields could fall by up to 50% in some African countries if production practices are not changed (UNCCD, 2014).

Metrics and numeric limits

Key facts from Action Against Desertification: land degradation affects almost 2 billion ha of land worldwide, home to 3.2 billion people; every year, 24 billion tonnes of fertile soils are lost due to erosion; and 12 million ha of land are degraded each year – this is 23 ha per minute (FAO, 2020a). 0a).

Key relevant UN convention / multilateral treaty

Established in 1994, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management (UNCCD, 2017). The Convention addresses specifically the arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas, known as the drylands, where some of the most vulnerable ecosystems and peoples can be found.

Article 1: ‘Combating desertification’ includes activities which are part of the integrated development of land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas for sustainable development, which are aimed at

Drivers

Some of the drivers of desertification include those related to climatic variations, such as drought as well as strong winds and heavy rainfall, which destroy and damage vegetation, and human activities, such as over-cultivation, overgrazing, unsustainable agricultural practices (from not rotating crops to unprotected soils or chemical fertiliser and pesticide use), and deforestation, which also increases the risk of fires, among others (UNCCD, 2011).

In the climate change context, increased global temperatures leading to higher evaporation and reduced soil moisture can also increase the risk of desertification.

Desertification combined with land degradation and drought in rural areas where people rely on limited productive land resources is one of the drivers of forced migration (UNCCD, 2014).

Impacts

The effects of desertification are increasingly felt globally as victims turn into refugees, internally displaced people and forced migrants.

Multi-hazard context

The figure below summarises common interactions between desertification and other hazards. This information should be used with caution and not be solely relied upon in Disaster Risk Management, particularly as some interactions may not have been included. Note that hazardous events occurring together or locally in space or time may not necessarily cause, amplify, or be otherwise related to each other. Specific examples of multi-hazard context can be found in the ‘Hazard drivers’ and ‘Impacts’ sections above.

Multi-hazard diagram

Risk Management

At the UN General Assembly in 2012, desertification, land degradation and drought were addressed in the resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 27 July 2012 (UNGA, 2012). Two quotes of particular relevance are included here:

“We stress that desertification, land degradation and drought are challenges of a global dimension and continue to pose serious challenges to the sustainable development of all countries, in particular developing countries.”
“We recognise the need for urgent action to reverse land degradation. In view of this, we will strive to achieve a land-degradation-neutral world in the context of sustainable development. This should act to catalyse financial resources from a range of public and private sources.”

Over 2 billion ha of land have potential for recovery through restoration approaches that combine activities like forestry with farmland re-vegetation. The restoration of over 5 million ha of land by communities that live across Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali has reversed outward migration flows (UNCCD, 2014).

Action Against Desertification (started in 2014) is an initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) to restore drylands and degraded lands in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific to tackle the detrimental social, economic and environmental impact of land degradation and desertification (FAO, 2020b).

Action Against Desertification supports local communities, government and civil society in six African countries – Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal – as well as Fiji and Haiti to restore degraded land and to manage fragile ecosystems in a sustainable way. It is using a mix of the following activities (FAO, 2020b):

Land restoration: putting rural communities at the heart of restoration and upscaling interventions to meet the massive needs
Non-timber forest products: support economic growth and sustainable management of natural resources
Capacity development: strengthening capacities in sustainable land management and land restoration
Monitoring and evaluation: collecting data, keeping track of progress, measuring impact
Information sharing: knowledge exchange and awareness-raising about land degradation and desertification
South–South cooperation: sharing lessons learned on how to reverse land degradation

In sub-Saharan Africa, where half a billion inhabitants are rural, the majority live off the land and desertification is a constant threat to their livelihoods. More than 3.2 billion people in the world depend on degraded land for their livelihoods, and 74% of them are poor. Under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the international legal framework for tackling desertification, land degradation and drought, 169 of its 194 Parties have declared that they are affected by desertification. Action

Against Desertification is a key partner of the Great Green Wall initiative, Africa’s flagship programme to combat the effects of climate change and desertification across North Africa, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa (FAO, 2020b).

Key results to date from Action Against Desertification (FAO, 2020c) are summarised in the table below: