... truly real desertification. However there is agreement amongst scientists and geographers alike that there are certain factors that can contribute to the process of desertification. These include over cultivation, overgrazing, deforestation and poor irrigation practices. Alan Grainger also argues that in addition "these are influenced by three contributing factors: population changes, climatic changes and changing social and economic conditions" (Grainger 1982:10). Over cultivation can have a number of detrimental effects such as declining soil fertility, increased surface runoff, erosion of soils, encroachment of sand dunes and exposure of topsoil to wind. The result is the exhaustion of once fertile and arable land, inducing dust-blown, desert like conditions, inappropriate and impossible to yield crops or keep healthy livestock. Similarly overgrazing can have such an affect through damage to vegetation, soil compaction and sealing from trampling. Rapidly growing populations have meant an incredible increase in the demand for food production. As a result ...

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