Causes Of Soil In Africa

Africa has been and is one of the richest continents when it comes to their natural resources. The countries within it are some of the poorest. From the report of the African development report 2007: Natural resources for sustainable development in Africa it said one of the biggest reasons that Africa is so rich

Poor soil management can lead to biological, chemical, and physical degradation, which can in turn negatively alter the activity of

Now, humans have a steady food supply so they do not have to move about. Therefore, people use fences to keep their animals in one place, which causes overgrazing. Today we see many subjects being affected by desertification. Ute Schaeffer reports the affects of desertification in, Down to Earth: News & Views on Desertification,“(doc.3) It has presented a challenge for governments and aid agencies in over 110 countries for some time, and is a contributing factor in poverty and regional conflicts, for example in Sudan. It has also been a major issue in Egypt, where 90% of the country’s land mass is desert. Faced with a rising population, the government has had to undertake a number of settlement and irrigation projects to create additional living and working space.” Necessary changes were made in order to adapt to the conditions of the desert and the obstacles that have to be faced. It is always presumed that there are only negative aspects to deserts but this isn’t always the case. There is a side to the Sahara desert that acts as a home to several living organisms. The Sahara has vegetation and access to water, which allows life to exist in this region. The Nile Valley, for example, is an area that is still quite full of foliage, trees and other growing things. This area is an exception, because of the way it is fed by the Nile River. Another area of the Sahara that has some vegetation to it is in the North, along the Mediterranean where olive trees grow

People have been living healthily in Africa since the creation of humans and if John Iliffe was correct in his assessment that Africa has poor soils, fickle rainfall, abundant insects, and unique prevalence to disease then it would not have been possible for people to have lived there for so long. Africa seen as a poor unsustainable country with many diseases because Europeans like John Iliffe believed and spread the idea that Africa had a hostile environment for populations and agriculture, however Africa had an environment suitable for both. We can see from the Yagog and Magog people that African communities were able to adapt to their environment and produce food that helped them live longer, they had plenty of natural edible plants, and

The soil used for farming in the savannas is becoming increasingly nutrient poor and acidic. Grain acts as both the main source of income and food, but the crop yield continues to lessen, because of the depreciating soil quality. Therefore, the crops need to change in order to replenish the soil and increase crop production. Also, by only growing a few crops and shipping the majority of their harvest, those

Oceania region is a main victim of the over grazing as it’s 11.3% of land degradation out of 13%. In Europe, 9.8% of the lands less productive because of deforestation whereas 3.3% over cultivation affected in North America.

Africa has been seen by the Western world as a ‘dark’ continent and very little was known about its land or people. Geological explorations showed that the Sahara desert was initially a fertile area, overflowing in lush vegetation, animal and men. Climatic changes were responsible for the formation of the desert. Africa, therefore, came to be known as an inhospitable place, in spite of areas of with great rivers, thick forests and vast green-lands. This was mainly because the greater part of the continent was separated from Mediterranean civilization and was not open to outside influences.

Sub Saharan Africa has been suffering from economic blackouts for the past decades due to many reasons which stretch themselves to poor political and economic management of the black continent. As such, this crisis seem to diminish bit by bit and Africa's economy seem to grow and develop rapidly in the nearest future; from where comes the term Africa rising.

Along with water availability, another important factor is the soil’s fertility. Because of too much farming on the same piece of land, the soil’s nutrients start deteriorating over the years, and in the end, the soil is literally “mined of life”. Bad application of fertilizers also adds to this. Right now, East Africa is heavily reliant on imported fertilizers, but because of transportation costs and no nearby suppliers, East Africa is paying about 2~6 times the amount of of the world’s

The deserts, rainforests and lack of rivers and lakes throughout Africa make practicing sustainable agriculture very difficult for many people. The land is dry and arid so most plants do not grow very well and cannot survive in most of the continent. In addition to this, most of the rivers on this continent are in sub-Saharan Africa therefore impeding irrigation in northern Africa. People living in countries in northern Africa must trade to obtain food for survival. The deserts and savannas spread throughout Africa hinder the growth of agriculture in multiple regions around the

“On the global basis, the soil degradation is caused by over grazing (35%), agriculture activities (28%), deforestation (30%), over exploitation of land to produce fuel wood (4%), and industrialization (4%).” 100% of what causes soil degradation is caused by humans and animals. 35% of the blame goes to the animals for over grazing, but the other 65% of the blame goes to the humans for agriculture activities and chopping down trees. Another example is, David Pimentel also states, “The bottom line on soil production is that it takes (on average) about 100 years to generate a millimeter of soil. This is about a human lifetime.” Although it is stated that animals contribute to land degradation, it’s only a small portion (35%). The main reason for loss of arable land is human development. Forests are cut down for farming space, fuel wood, or space to build some kind of industry. When land is being used and used, and no one manages it, it can become deplete; which means, the land is dried out and unable to grow vegetation. Soil production takes a long time, on average, it takes 100 years. 100 years is too long to wait for new soil to plant food.

1. Agriculture as a key industry in sub-Saharan Africa and Australia is under threat from severe drought, and drought triggers a series of chain-reactions.

Africa used to be full of life and the population was vast, due to the events that took place Africa no longer has the resources to trade with other countries. The impact of the slave trade was large enough to deny Africa from all of its greatness. Africa is now known for hosting small villages that are very poor and underdeveloped, Africans are unable to fend off disease and they cannot afford the supplies and materials for cures. They were drained of many resources not just their people, Africa

The government of the world, including the people of Sahel are working towards improving the soil of the soil of the Sahel. The problem will not be easily solved because we are working against nature, so you never know what is going to happen. The environment of the Sahel desert has experienced many droughts, this makes it nearly impossible to become fertile again.

Natural causes leading to dissertation have been ongoing for the last few thousand years. That is to say, since the start of the world. As Brady, Nyle C., and Ray R. Weil. state in their book Elements of the Nature and Properties of Soils “Water deficiency is a major characteristic of these (arid) soils.” Soils without consistent water and the ability to store water require excessive care. Other natural causes are wild animal overpopulation or underpopulation, bare land, forest fires and natural disasters. While these many causes may seem overwhelming to correct there is much hope for arid lands.