Desertification is the process through which the soil suffers a loss of a large part of its nutrients due to the action and effect of the climate, then causing the soil to progressively degrade leading it to become desert soil, this process at the time of occurrence it can be practically irreparable. The term desertification comes from Latin, specifically from the verb “deserere” which means “to abandon”. On the other hand, this term is commonly confused with desertification, however, the latter is a process similar to desertification but its causes are attributed to the direct action of the hand of man.
This process, despite being somewhat similar to desertification, is a process that involves a considerably long period of time, even being so long that several generations will have to pass for the effects on the soil to be visible. The main elements that contribute to this process are the weather, the lack of frequent rains, the lack of humidity, even the freezing of the soils can end up being a decisive factor in desertification, since they end up wearing out the same soil. Desertification is a process that has existed since even before man populated the earth, spanning thousands of years, experts consider that glaciationsThey can be taken as a form of desertification, this is due to the fact that these processes directly affected the fertile soils of certain areas, preventing both animal and plant life from developing in those places.
Desertification is a process that being natural can be understood as something spontaneous that takes place thanks to the repeated actions of the elements that cause soil erosion, in some cases the characteristics of the soil can contribute to this phenomenon, since that the little presence of minerals that with the passage of time end up being depleted give way to desertification. Currently, there are several regions of planet Earth that are believed to have been victims of this phenomenon, one of the most iconic places being the Sahara desert, which is believed to be an area of great natural wealth, long before it man will settle on earth.
