desertification

American  

[dih-zur-tuh-fi-key-shuhn] / dɪˌzɜr tə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

Also desertization

noun

Ecology.

1. the processes by which an area becomes a desert.

2. the rapid depletion of plant life and the loss of topsoil at desert boundaries and in semiarid regions, caused mostly by a combination of drought and such human practices as deforestation and unsustainable agriculture, the effects of which are exacerbated by climate change.

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desertification British  

/ dɪˌzɜːtɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. a process by which fertile land turns into barren land or desert

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desertification Scientific  

/ dĭ-zûr′tə-fĭ-kā′shən /

1. The transformation of land once suitable for agriculture into desert. Desertification can result from climate change or from human practices such as deforestation and overgrazing.

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Etymology

Origin of desertification

First recorded in 1970–75; desert ¹ + -i- + -fication

Explanation

Desertification is what happens to land when it becomes dried out and is no longer habitable. During the Dust Bowl, a period of massive dust storms in the 1930s, farmland in the Great Plains became barren through desertification. The word desertification is made up of the Latin suffix -ficationem meaning "to make, do" tagged to the end of the word desert. The process of desertification is the process of making or turning an area of land into a desert. This usually happens because of a change in the climate or in the ways in which the land was used. Poor agricultural practices can damage land to the point of desertification.

Example Sentences

In addition to being an ecological and social problem, desertification is also an economic burden, costing an estimated six percent of Central Asia's GDP annually, according to the World Bank.

From Barron's • Dec. 18, 2025

Mr Batra explains the goal is "to help combat desertification".

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2025

Deforestation and flooding in Bangladesh, the collapse of Black Sea fisheries, the desertification of sub-Saharan Africa and “a nearly endless list” of other issues, he said, would drive human migration.

From Salon • Nov. 14, 2024

Countering human efforts to expand oases, desertification contributed to oasis loss.

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2024

Drought cycles, desertification, a 2.9% population   growth rate, and the drop in world demand for uranium have undercut   the economy.

From The 2006 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

Related Words

• erosion
• logging