Desertification In Botswana
1. Desertification is when fertile land becomes desert and is dried out. This is usually caused by drought or deforestation. Sometimes even inappropriate agriculture can be a factor.
2. Most of the land surface in Botswana is constituted for by the desert which doesn't hold surface water for longer periods of time. Underground water is not a necessity because of this. Botswana is around 600 square kilometers, and the Kalahari Desert makes up 70% of it. Drought is the main cause of the desertification, due to the fact that Botswana is fairly flat with no rolling hills to let water flow throughout the country with ease. Water gets absorbed into the ground too quickly.
3. Deforestation, poor cropping methods, improper soil conservation, and overgrazing have all had significant contributions to the desertification in this country. 95% of Botswana raises cattle and livestock for a source of income. This means that tons of the land is used for grazing, which has been a large cause for desertification. 75% of the country's human and animal populations depend on groundwater, but the drought has left an even bigger impact on the land. Groundwater is gathered by drilling deep holes, which unfortunately causes erosion of the land.
4. A project was designed in Botswana to battle desertification. The project covers steps to conserve the whole spectrum of local resources, including wildlife and products such as firewood and grass for grazing and thatching. All the local plans benefit from indigenous knowledge and traditional land management systems. They include fencing off parts of communal grazing areas to heal the land and control sand dunes. Some of their goals are to keep it as cheap as possible and introduce ecologically sound to make it socially acceptable.
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