H Geography - Human - Rural - Rural Land Degradation Impacts

What are the two types of impacts of rural land degradation?

The two types of impacts of rural land degradation are;

• Physical

• Human

What are physical impacts of rural land degradation?

• Loss of fertile topsoil because of water or wind erosion. This leads to the inability of land to support vegetation.

• Desertification has become so severe that the Sahara Desert is expanding south into the Sahel. In the last 50 years, 65 million hectares of the Sahel have been turned into desert.

• Intense tropical downpours cut rills and gullies into the landscape

What are the human impacts of rural land degradation?

• Crop failures and death of livestock leads to reduced food supply. This can result in malnutrition and famine which can detrimentally impact child development.

• Large scale rural migration results in overcrowded areas in the south of the Sahel, this creates more pressure on the growth of informal settlements

• The collapse of the nomadic way of life due to the lack of grazing opportunities and water, this forces many nomads to settle in villages which increases tension in these areas

• Farmers lose their income because of a decrease in crop yields, this means they can no longer afford to pay for their basic needs, such as schooling

• Conflict over limited resources as people are forced to move and resettle. This results in the large growth of refugee camps. For example, in Darfur.

• Some Sahelian countries are becoming increasingly reliant on international aid to gain access to food and water, this impacts development as debt repayments are high

What is your case study for rural land degradation?

My case study for rural land degradation is the Sahel

Loss of fertile topsoil - RLD

• Loss of fertile topsoil because of water or wind erosion. This leads to the inability of land to support vegetation.

Desertification - RLD

• Desertification has become so severe that the Sahara Desert is expanding south into the Sahel. In the last 50 years, 65 million hectares of the Sahel have been turned into desert.

Intense tropical downpours - RLD

• Intense tropical downpours cut rills and gullies into the landscape

Crop failures and death of livestock - RLD

• Crop failures and death of livestock leads to reduced food supply. This can result in malnutrition and famine which can detrimentally impact child development.

Large scale rural migration - RLD

• Large scale rural migration results in overcrowded areas in the south of the Sahel, this causes more pressure on the growth of informal settlements

The collapse of the nomadic way of life - RLD

• The collapse of the nomadic way of life due to the lack of grazing opportunities and water, this forces many nomads to settle in villages which increases tension in these areas

Farmers lose their income - RLD

• Farmers lose their income because of decrease in crop yields, this means they can no longer afford to pay for their basic needs, such as schooling

Conflict over limited resources - RLD

• Conflict over limited resources as people are forced to move and resettle. This results in the large growth of refugee camps. For example, in Darfur

Reliance on international aid - RLD

• Some Sahelian countries are becoming increasingly reliant on international aid to gain access to food and water, this impacts development as debt repayments are high