The Desert Makers

By the process of desertification, the Sahara desert is growing at a rate of 0.6 km a year. 'Millions of people in this area are suffering from the effects of this phenomenon, which causes the earth's ecosystems to deteriorate" . Sand dunes have covered large expanses of agricultural farmlands, oasis and ponds, causing farmers to abandon the season and their homes. Desertification is posing a serious threat to Nigeria's economy as jobs are lost, and food is becoming scarce. The deteriorating economy is at the fault of the Nigerians, the negative effects of desertification could have been, and still can be slowed down and even prevented by the Nigerian government and its people. Although desertification is a natural process of an ecosystem, it could have been stopped. The people of Nigeria and even many surrounding countries have taken up many processes that are increasing the rate of desertification. Nigerians are poor and live by the easiest ways of life, which is very destructive towards the environment. Instead of looking for long-term processes to help take them out of their poverty, Nigerians over cultivate and overgraze the land they live on. They destroying it and then moving on to ruin a fresh new area, in turn leaving a

Irrigation water accumulates below ground, raising the water table until the soil is water logged at the level of plant roots and reduces crop yields. The government has done little to educate the Nigerians about how to properly take care of the land. "In many cases, traditional and durable rain-fed agricultural methods no longer are suitable under present-day conditions" Strong demographic pressure has increased the demand on land resources, aggravating cash-crop farming"" The Nigerians live in poverty and are careless when it comes to farming. The government has given villagers little environmental awareness. The rest of the trees have been cut down by the people to be used for fuel and 6homes because it is cheap. Kerosene prices are high in Nigeria, which does not help to reduce the use of wood, and deforestation is increased. Often the government must deal with emergency situations when times get really bad, which increases the debt, that the country is in. Even though the poor agricultural practices of the Nigerians are the main cause of desertification, it is not their entire fault. " Overgrazing is one of the biggest problems of the Nigerians. "By encouraging better management of rural areas; and by supporting the harnessing and distribution of local energy sources". The government also has unsustainable development and public policy. Therefore the deteriorating Nigerian economy is at the fault of its people, the negative effects of desertification could have been, and still can be slowed down and even prevented by the Nigerians. Although the Nigerians have made the desertification process even worse on their own, there is still hope for them. They need to be educated and notified that their many methods together are accelerating the process. After a while Nigerians learned to farm and this became the main food source.