Editing Desertification (section)

=== Increasing poverty ===
[[File:Soil erosion, Southfield - geograph.org.uk - 367917.jpg|thumb|[[Soil erosion#Wind erosion|Wind erosion]] outside [[Leuchars]]]]
At least 90% of the inhabitants of drylands live in [[Developing country|developing countries]], where they also suffer from poor economic and social conditions.<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |title=2010–2020: UN Decade for Deserts and the Fight against Desertification |url=https://www.un.org/en/events/desertification_decade/index.shtml |access-date=2023-09-11 |website=www.un.org |language=EN}}</ref> This situation is exacerbated by land degradation because of the reduction in productivity, the precariousness of living conditions and the difficulty of access to resources and opportunities.<ref name=":10">[https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/publications/The%20Global%20Drylands%20Initiative,%202001-09%20-%20Challenge%20Paper-%20Poverty%20and%20the%20Drylands.pdf Poverty and the Drylands] undp.org</ref>

Many underdeveloped countries are affected by overgrazing, [[land exhaustion]] and [[overdrafting]] of groundwater due to pressures to exploit marginal drylands for farming. Decision-makers are understandably averse to invest in arid zones with low potential. This absence of investment contributes to the marginalization of these zones. When unfavorable agri-climatic conditions are combined with an absence of infrastructure and access to markets, as well as poorly adapted production techniques and an underfed and undereducated population, most such zones are excluded from development.<ref name="csf-desertification.org">{{Cite web|url=http://www.csf-desertification.org/index.php/bibliotheque/doc_details/119-cornet-antoine-2002-desertification-and-its-relationship-to-the-environment-and-development|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090809142606/http://www.csf-desertification.org/index.php/bibliotheque/doc_details/119-cornet-antoine-2002-desertification-and-its-relationship-to-the-environment-and-development|url-status=dead|title=Cornet A., 2002. Desertification and its relationship to the environment and development: a problem that affects us all. In: Ministère des Affaires étrangères/adpf, Johannesburg. World Summit on Sustainable Development. 2002. What is at stake? The contribution of scientists to the debate: 91–125..|archive-date=9 August 2009}}</ref>

Desertification often causes rural lands to become unable to support the same sized populations that previously lived there. This results in mass [[human migration|migrations]] out of rural areas and into urban areas particularly in Africa creating unemployment and [[slum]]s.<ref>{{cite book|author=Pasternak, Dov|author2=Schlissel, Arnold|title=Combating desertification with plants|publisher=Springer|year=2001|isbn=978-0-306-46632-8|page=20|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B-i8-DPf6xgC&pg=PA20|access-date=2016-05-16|archive-date=2023-07-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730161050/https://books.google.com/books?id=B-i8-DPf6xgC&pg=PA20|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Briassoulis, Helen|title=Policy integration for complex environmental problems: the example of Mediterranean desertification|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|year=2005|isbn=978-0-7546-4243-5|page=161|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CpYnV45hVRsC&pg=PA161|access-date=2016-05-16|archive-date=2023-07-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230730161052/https://books.google.com/books?id=CpYnV45hVRsC&pg=PA161|url-status=live}}</ref> The number of these [[Environmental migrant|environmental refugees]] grows every year, with projections for sub-Saharan Africa showing a probable increase from 14 million in 2010 to nearly 200 million by 2050. This presents a future crisis for the region, as neighboring nations do not always have the ability to support large populations of refugees.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Myers |first1=Norman |date=29 April 2002 |title=Environmental refugees: a growing phenomenon of the 21st century |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences |volume=357 |issue=1420 |pages=609–613 |doi=10.1098/rstb.2001.0953 |pmc=1692964 |pmid=12028796}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Epule |first1=Terence Epule |last2=Peng |first2=Changhui |last3=Lepage |first3=Laurent |date=5 February 2014 |title=Environmental refugees in sub-Saharan Africa: a review of perspectives on the trends, causes, challenges and way forward |journal=GeoJournal |volume=80 |issue=1 |pages=79–92 |doi=10.1007/s10708-014-9528-z |bibcode=2015GeoJo..80...79E |s2cid=154503204}}</ref>

In [[Mongolia]], the land is 90% fragile dry land, which causes many herders to migrate to the city for work. With very limited resources, the herders that stay on the dry land graze very carefully in order to preserve the land.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-08-01 |title=Mongolia's nomadic way of life under threat |url=https://gulfnews.com/lifestyle/mongolias-nomadic-way-of-life-under-threat-1.2259998 |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=gulfnews.com |language=en}}</ref>

Agriculture is a main source of income for many desert communities. The increase in desertification in these regions has degraded the land to such an extent where people can no longer productively farm and make a profit. This has negatively impacted the economy and increased poverty rates.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Stringer|first1=Lindsay C.|last2=Dyer|first2=Jen C.|last3=Reed|first3=Mark S.|last4=Dougill|first4=Andrew J.|last5=Twyman|first5=Chasca|last6=Mkwambisi|first6=David|title=Adaptations to climate change, drought and desertification: local insights to enhance policy in southern Africa|journal=Environmental Science & Policy|volume=12|issue=7|pages=748–765|doi=10.1016/j.envsci.2009.04.002|year=2009|bibcode=2009ESPol..12..748S }}</ref>

There is, however, increased global advocacy e.g. the UN [[Sustainable Development Goal 15|SDG 15]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Goal 15 targets |url=https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-15-life-on-land/targets.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904001634/https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-15-life-on-land/targets.html |archive-date=2017-09-04 |access-date=2020-09-24 |website=UNDP |language=en}}</ref> to combat desertification and restore affected lands.