Sand threatens world food production

As an effect of the exploding human population sand is rapidly encroaching. To ask attention for this threat the year 2006 was declared the ?International Year of Deserts and Desertification?. The figure alongside represents a risc map that was published by the US departement of agriculture. One can clearly see that large parts of Europ, Africa and Asia are in danger of being desertified. According to the United Nations desertification is one of the largest threats to the world food production. ?11% of the land surface that can be used for serious food production is used today to feed 6.3 billion people. The question is: Will we be able to feed the 8.2 billion that we expect to populate the globe in 2020 if even less land is available for farming?” said UN meteorologist Suvakumar recently on a congress in Geneva. It seems that the ongoing desertification will simply raise the demand for fertile soils on the short term and I am afraid that this will boost global deforestation. While deforestation is exactly one of the principal processes that cause desertification?
Detailed information on desertification is available at the website of the Sustainable Development Networking Programme (SDNP)

1. a to-the-point summary of this threat, good work. Deforestation and desertification are mutually amplifying and politicians should look much more at the total picture.

   Kamiel on Sep 26, 07:54 PM