Reducing Desertification Flashcards

All 6 cards in this deck

Name the three types of strategy used to reduce the risk of desertification.

Water and soil management, tree planting, and use of appropriate technology.

How does tree planting reduce desertification?

Tree roots bind the soil and counter erosion, and the trees slow wind speeds, stopping the spread of the desert.

What are bunds, and how do they reduce desertification?

Low rock walls built along the contour of a slope; they capture running water and trap sediment, building up soil for cultivation.

Give one example of appropriate technology used to reduce desertification, and say how it helps.

Solar cookers or more efficient stoves — they cut the need for fuelwood, so fewer trees are removed.

Give one water management method that reduces the risk of desertification.

Drip irrigation, which delivers small amounts of water straight to plant roots, or growing crops that need little water; both stop soils being overused or salted up.

Give one soil management method that reduces the risk of desertification.

Crop rotation, so the same nutrients are not drained from the soil every year. Also accept: leaving land fallow to recover, or adding manure or compost to restore nutrients.