Green to Brown: Desertification Impacts on African Land

Jeffrey Hong

World Lit Honors

Tompkins

12 March, 2015

Green to Brown: Desertification Impacts on African Land

Luke Skywalker’s house, along with the city of Mos Espa, is being overrun by the desert. The set of Tatooine from the first episode of Star Wars is located in Tunisia, a country in Northern Africa. Unfortunately, the abandoned houses and props, a tourist attraction, are being reclaimed by the edge of the sand dunes in the process of desertification (Singh). Desertification across Africa presents a problem for real villages and farmland, as well as those who work and live in those areas.

Desertification is defined by the UN as “land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and sub-humid areas resulting from various factors including climatic variations and human activities” (UNESCO). In general, desertification occurs when unhealthy farming practices degrades the land, making it uninhabitable. The lack of surface plants and water only accelerate the spread of the desert. Although desertification in sub-Saharan Africa has been occurring for 11,000 years (Stewart), human farming or living practices have been negatively affecting the environment and only speeding up the process.

Presently, desertification processes affect 46% of the African continent (Reich), and about 65% of people in Africa depend on agriculture (Fan). In fact, in International Food Policy Research Institute places agriculture as accounting for “30 to 40 percent of Africa’s total gross domestic product (a measure of economic status), and almost 60 percent of its total export earnings” (Fan). Through the spread of the desert climate into previously usable farmland, agricultural production is harmed and people are displaced, causing food crises and financial instability (FAO). Not only are the farmers harmed, the overall African economy suffers from desertification harms. Clearly, desertification is not a problem that can be ignored.

Currently, African governments and the United Nations are working together to prevent the issue from growing. One proposed plan is to create a literal wall of trees and other vegetation, called a “green belt”, to prevent the advance of the desert past a certain line (Hirji). This solution has worked before, as the Qinghai region of China has seen successful conservation efforts through the planting of drought-resistant foliage (Xinhua). Many African countries also participate in the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, which addresses land degradation through monocultures, where one crop is dominant, water management, and other issues (UNCCD). At the current rate, desertification effects may displace 50 million people in the next 10 years (BBC).

Slowly but steadily, the sand dunes in Africa have moved forward to cover usable land. In Tunisia, the government has been attempting to physically remove the millions of cubic feet of sand from the Star Wars set. Through solutions such as the green belt or better farming techniques, desertification may become easier to combat in the future. With 50 million livelihoods at risk, the problem cannot be ignored and should find increased global awareness of its impacts.

Works Cited: Desertification in Africa

"Addressing Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought in Africa." UNCCD. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.

"China Focus: China Progresses on Environmental Protection in Plateau Region." Xinhua News Agency 12 Mar. 2015: n. pag. Global Issues In Context. Web. 13 Mar. 2015.

Fan, S. "Agriculture's Critical Role in Africa's Development." International Food Policy Research Institute, 9 May 2009. Web. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ifpri.org%2Fpublication%2Fagriculture-s-critical-role-africa-s-development>.

Hirji, Zahra. "Stopping Desertification in Africa With a 'Great Green Wall' : DNews." Discovery News. N.p., 19 June 2010. Web. 09 Mar. 2015.

Reich, P. F., S. T. Numben, R. A. Almarez, and H. Eswaran. "Natural Resources Conservation Service." Land Resource Stresses and Desertification in Africa. International Conference on Land Degradation and Desertification, 2001. Web. 06 Mar. 2015. <http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/use/?cid=nrcs142p2_054025>.
Singh, Timon. "Tunisia Battles to Save Famous Star Wars Set from Encroaching Desertification." Inhabitat Sustainable Design Innovation Eco Architecture Green Building Tunisia Battles to Save Famous Star Wars Set from Encroaching Desertification Comments. N.p., 10 Apr. 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2015. <http://inhabitat.com/tunisia-battles-to-save-world-famous-star-wars-set-from-encroaching-desertification/>.

Stewart, Robert. "Desertification in the Sahel." Desertification in the Sahel. Texas A&M University, n.d. Web. 09 Mar. 2015. <http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/environment-book/desertificationinsahel.html>.

"UN Issues Desertification Warning." BBC News. BBC, 28 June 2007. Web. 09 Mar. 2015. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6247802.stm>.

"What Is Desertification?" UNESCO, n.d. Web. 9 Mar. 2015. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.unesco.org%2Fmab%2Fdoc%2Fekocd%2Fchapter1.html%23def>.