In recent times, the loss of vegetation in the area has vastly degraded their once fertile land, and

water has become a rare commodity. Since 1999, the failure of the monsoon has adversely affected the soil and the land has become barren. In order to regenerate it, ravines and ridges were treated by constructing gully plugs and digging out contour trenches. Earth check dams with spillways on either side were built to allow the water overflow to run off without damaging the dams. Ponds were also constructed to hold larger volumes of water. As farmers witnessed the effects of lack of water and soil erosion and its detrimental impact on agricultural production and yields, the concept of watershed management gained credence amongst them. Many are convinced that the local environment can be regenerated through a well-managed watershed programme. Many now understand the fact that as the groundwater increases, normal farming patterns and agricultural output levels can be maintained despite changing weather conditions. The community has now learned to conserve their water and soil. Not a single drop of water runs off in their village. Caritas India has run public information campaigns trying to persuade local communities to take similar measures to stop desertification. Even though Indias land area is only 2.4 percent of the worlds total land area, it supports 16.67 percent of the worlds population and 18 percent of its livestock. These pressures alone play a major role in promoting desertification. As the human and animal population increases, these stresses will become greater and the demand on natural resources will increase leading to permanent loss of vegetation and plant species. This may also lead to the conversion of large areas into wastelands and to the frequent occurrence of natural disasters. Half the land in India is now affected by desertification and this impairs the ability of land to support life. It is particularly devastating because of its self-reinforcing nature. The causes of desertification are extensive cultivation of one crop, use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, shifting cultivation without adequate period of recovery, industrial and mining activities, overgrazing, logging and illegal felling, forest fires and unsustainable water management. Desertification is a global phenomenon of land degradation, which reduces the natural potential of the ecosystems and has a direct impact on people in terms of vulnerability to food shortages and natural disasters, depletion of natural resources and deterioration of the environment. Vegetation plays an essential role in protecting the soil, especially trees and shrubs, because their long life and capacity to develop powerful root systems assure protection against soil erosion. Their disappearance can considerably increase the vulnerability of the land to turn into a wasteland.

What is desertification?

Present-day Drylands Desertification refers to the persistent degradation of dryland ecosystems by climatic variations and human activities. It occurs on all continents (except Antarctica) and affects the livelihoods of millions of people, including a large proportion of the poor in drylands. The U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) defines it as land degradation in arid, semiarid and dry subhumid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic

variations and human activities. Land degradation is in turn defined as the reduction or loss of the biological or economic productivity of drylands. In 2000, drylands, which occupy 41% of Earths land area, were home to a third of the human population, or 2 billion people. Ecosystem services are the benefits obtained by people from ecosystems, for instance crops, forage and wood. In drylands, water scarcity limits the production of such services provided by ecosystems. Persistent, substantial reduction in the provision of ecosystem services as a result of water scarcity, intensive use of services, and climate change is a much greater threat in drylands than in non-dryland systems. Areas most vulnerable to desertification are the sub-Saharan and Central Asian drylands. Desertification occurs as a result of a long-term failure to balance human demand for ecosystem services and the amount the ecosystem can supply. The pressure is increasing on dryland ecosystems for providing services such as food, forage, fuel, building materials, and water which is needed for humans, livestock, irrigation, and sanitation. This increase is attributed to a combination of human factors (such as population pressure and land use patterns) and climatic factors (such as droughts). While the global and regional interplay of these factors is complex, it is possible to understand it at the local scale. Some 10 to 20% of drylands are already degraded, and, if no countermeasures are taken, desertification will threaten future improvements in human well-being and possibly even reverse gains in some regions. Therefore, desertification is one of the greatest environmental challenges today and a major barrier to meeting basic human needs in drylands. How are desertification and human well-being linked? How developments in drylands can contribute to or prevent desertification 2.1 In drylands, more people depend on ecosystem services for their basic needs than in any other ecosystem. Indeed, many of their resources, such as crops, livestock, fuelwood, and construction materials, depend on the growth of plants, which in turn depends on water availability and climate conditions. Fluctuations in the services supplied by ecosystems are normal, especially in drylands, where water supply is irregular and scarce. However, when a dryland ecosystem is no longer capable to recover from previous pressures, a downward spiral of desertification may follow, though it is not inevitable. More... 2.2 Desertification affects a wide range of services provided by ecosystems to humans: products such as food and water, natural processes such as climate regulation, but also non-material services such as recreation, and supporting services such as soil conservation. Changes can be quantified and methods are available to prevent, reduce, or reverse them. When faced with desertification, people often respond by making use of land that is even less productive, transforming pieces of rangeland into cultivated land, or moving towards cities or

even to other countries. This can lead to unsustainable agricultural practices, further land degradation, exacerbated urban sprawl, and socio-political problems. Who is affected by desertification? Desertification affects the livelihoods of millions of people, as it occurs on all continents (except Antarctica). Women often play a key role in water management in drylands (Mauritania) Comparison of Infant Mortality and GNP per Person in Drylands 3.1 Desertification takes place in drylands all over the world. Some 10 to 20% of all drylands may already be degraded, but the precise extent of desertification is difficult to estimate, because few comprehensive assessments have been made so far. More... 3.2 A large majority of dryland populations live in developing countries. Compared to the rest of the world, these populations lag far behind in terms of human well-being, per capita income, and infant mortality. The situation is worst in the drylands of Asia and Africa. Dryland populations are often marginalized and unable to play a role in decision making processes that affect their well-being, making them even more vulnerable. More... 3.3 Desertification has environmental impacts that go beyond the areas directly affected. For instance, loss of vegetation can increase the formation of large dust clouds that can cause health problems in more densely populated areas, thousands of kilometers away. Moreover, the social and political impacts of desertification also reach non-dryland areas. For example, human migrations from drylands to cities and other countries can harm political and economic stability.