Of all the global environmental problems, desertification is, perhaps, the most threatening for poor rural people. Desertification is the expansion of desert lands into previously non-desert areas. What are the causes of this problem? What can be done to solve this problem?

In the rural world, Forests provide a livelihood to the rural population and their removal leads to many unwanted consequences. Desertification is responsible for the loss of fertile lands for the dependents. This essay will give reasons which are responsible for this phenomenon and provide ramifications. There are a number of reasons which lead to the desertification of non-desert areas. Firstly, forest acts as a wall and repels desert expansion into the crowded trees but rapid deforestation to provide resources to the major cities results in desert expansion. Secondly, some rural population tend to exploit farmlands to the extend that their minerals are depleted. For instance, According to a recent study, deforestation increases the chances of desertification by 10 times. Therefore, Cutting trees and farm exploitation are two main causes for this problem to prevail. There are many ways which governments and local people can employ to mitigate this problem. To begin with, governments can provide funds to plant trees in the green lands which borders the deserts. As a result, the expanding desert will be contained, which will also provide a habitat for the people who live in remote areas. In addition to that, government bodies can provide lessons on how to preserve the fertility of the lands. This results in farmers using fertilisers and green farming techniques. Hence, desertification can be effectively combated by the union of people and power. To conclude, a reduction in greenery poses a grave threat to the lives of rural residents. land exploitation and deforestation are the main causes for desertification to increase, which can be reduced in severity by tree-planting activity and fertilisation of the Greenlands.