Climate change and land degradation, as all “natural” disasters, hit the poorest the hardest.
Agriculture has been a main source of income for many desert communities in Sub-saharan Africa, but lower rainfall and increasing temperatures are speeding up loss of fertile soil, with some studies showing a loss of about 650,000 km² of Africa’s productive agricultural land in the past 50 year. Other contributing factors are agriculture practices like tillage and over-exploitation of the land such as overgrazing and deforestation.
Once the cycle of desertification starts and the vegetation dies, the soil progressively loses organic matter and with it its resilience, fertility and ability to store water.
There are organizations working on improving the conditions of small farmers in regions severely impacted by desertification and climate change. You can help by donating to One Acre Fund [@oneacrefund]
[Sketched on an Art Materials Hand•Book Travelogue journal, with a Sailor Fude fountain pen and a Pilot Carbon pen, both filled with Carbon ink, and Daniel Smith Watercolors]