So, now that we know what causes deserts, what is the solution?
There are no easy answers. The United Nations recently made an agreement called the “Convention to Combat Desertification” that was signed by over 100 countries. These countries agreed to look at ways to stop deserts from spreading and to listen to the suggestions of local people who live on drylands. Farmers can stop deserts from spreading by carefully managing their land. If you have hilly land, you should be ploughing the land along the curves of the land, and around the hills, instead of straight up and down. Leave strips of grass between the cultivated rows. This stops the big problem of water rolling straight down the hills and taking soil with it. You can use crop residues such as banana leaves or vegetable waste from your kitchen as a mulch for your soil. Another thing you can do is to plant your crops by making a hole for each seed instead of ploughing the whole area. This takes more time of course, but it cuts down on damage to fragile soil. Adding compost and manure will als
