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

Once hailed as a solution to Ethiopia's creeping desertification, a foreign tree is now spreading uncontrollably across the east African nation, threatening fragile ecosystems and the very survival of local communities.

From Barron's • Nov. 12, 2025

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

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2025

The government is set to announce measures to avoid desertification by promoting better management of soil and other natural resources in the region.

From Seattle Times • May 28, 2024

New research shows how the world's oases have grown and shrunk over the past 25 years as water availability patterns changed and desertification encroaches on these wet refuges.

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2024

As for prospects in the 1990s, the addition of nearly 100 million people a year to an already overcrowded globe will exacerbate the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine.

From The 1991 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

Related Words

• erosion
• logging