Awareness Flyer
How farmers are destroying the land and water in Africa
Land: Farming of Average Land causing Desertification
Farmers are clearing areas to plant on, taking away the richness of the soil before it has time to replenish itself resulting in desertification, the process in which fertile land becomes desert, and the spreading of the Sahara Desert. Also since the Sahara Desert is spreading a great number of people are moving along the Nile River to be near a source of water. In the future I think the Sahara will continue to spread unless the farmers and other people in Africa start taking care of the land.
Water: Fertilizer Runoff
Since the urbanization and population in Africa are rising, so is the demand for food. Therefore, many farmers are using a lot of fertilizer to try and keep up with the high demand. However, some are using too much fertilizer that ends up running off into the oceans/lakes hurting the animals and their ecosystems. I think in the future the farmers will hopefully become more aware of what effects their actions are having and try to use less fertilizer.
Questions!
1) What is desertification?
2) How does the killing of animals and ecosystems impact the water?