American scientists are developing technologies and new approaches to reduce desertification and, in some cases, restore damaged land to its previous fertile condition.
A classic example of desertification is the Dust Bowl period of the 1930s in the United States, when large dust storms devastated the Midwest states. It was a time when severe droughts, combined with poor land management practices, caused tremendous suffering and economic loss.
But during those Dust Bowl years, scientists learned valuable lessons that continue to influence U.S. agricultural practices.
Currently, U.S. scientists are addressing the ongoing problem of land becoming barren and unusable for production due to drought, inadequate agricultural techniques, deforestation, or other specific human activities. Globally, up to 40% of previously productive land has already been degraded, according to the United Nations. By 2045, around 135 million people worldwide may be displaced due to desertification.
“When desertification happens, people go hungry, abandon their lands, and need to find other places to make a living,” says Jeff Herrick, a soil scientist with the U.S. Agricultural Research Service and scientific representative of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). “Our goal is to help people stay on their land by providing the necessary information to manage it better.”
“The health and well-being of our land is not always on our radar,” says Nichole Barger, a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder, and co-chair of a group called the Interface between Policy and Science of the UNCCD. “The phase we are in now is about asking tough questions. What do we do as a community to support the rest of the world in addressing this problem?”
With funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, Herrick and his colleagues developed the Land Potential Knowledge System* (LandPKS). It is a free mobile app that helps people determine if their land is suitable for agricultural activity. “Anyone anywhere in the world can download it and use it to learn about the sustainable potential of their land,” says Herrick. “The app informs what soils exist in their region and then helps identify their own soil.”
Nichole’s research at the University of Colorado involves the science behind ecological restoration. She and her colleagues provide data that can be used to make better decisions to protect land from degradation. For example, in a project in southern Utah, Nichole’s team found that controlling wildfires by cutting trees and setting them on fire harmed the lower soil layer. If, instead, the trees undergo a decomposition process to become humus, being transformed into wood chips spread across the soil, soil moisture increases and plants can grow, reducing soil erosion.
On June 17, the UN will celebrate the Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. The date raises public awareness about desertification. (The annual observance was initiated in 1994 by the UN General Assembly and until 2021 was called World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.)
Nichole says that people can help. “The pressure on land is largely driven by how much we consume. So, on an individual level, if you really want to reduce pressure on land, you should decrease the amount of products you are consuming,” she says. “The most important thing is not to let the land deteriorate to the point that we need to intervene.”
Source: share.america.gov