The role of human factors in exacerbating desertification in Diyala Governorate and ways to address it

Abstract

Desertification is not a modern phenomenon, but the severity of this phenomenon has worsened and increased in recent times, and the problem of desertification has become a global problem. It is essentially a human-made phenomenon that is exacerbated by climate change. The extremes of climatic phenomena are a result of human activities, the most prominent of which are population growth, urban expansion, overgrazing, incorrect agricultural practices, and the removal of natural vegetation, which leave devastating effects on arable lands and the increase in the phenomenon of desertification. Therefore, it is at the heart of the challenges and serious threats facing the sustainable development of agricultural lands, as desertification has far-reaching negative effects on natural resources, the environment, economic and agricultural activity, physical infrastructure, and food security for the population. The problem of the research is represented by the continuous rise in the increasing and changing human requirements for agricultural and food commodities, the increase in population, and the subsequent social changes that have doubled the need to exploit additional resources to meet food requirements at a time when large areas of land suffer from the problem of desertification. The research aims to identify the reasons for the exacerbation of the desertification phenomenon between the years (2015-2022). And its repercussions on the agricultural land area in Diyala Governorate, and the resulting consequences and the available capabilities to address them. We assume that human factors have the strongest influence in exacerbating this phenomenon, in addition to the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources. The research concluded that desertification is one of the environmental problems that, the more it worsens and increases in severity, the more difficult and costly it becomes to address it financially and technically.