Dry planet: drought and desertification, region by region

Without healthy land, we can't grow food. But around the world, fertile soil is turning into lifeless dust. Vast deserts are expanding, eating up once flourishing fields.

A vicious cycle of climate change and land degradation is to blame. As temperatures rise and rainfall declines, small-scale farmers have little choice but to strain natural resources even further to ensure their livelihoods, accelerating a decline in productivity.

In fact, two-fifths of all land is degraded. As a result, our planet is less able to sustain diverse and healthy ecosystems, grow crops, rear livestock and feed a growing population.

We asked IFAD’s climate experts how desertification and drought are affecting different parts of the world – and how rural people are leading the change that’s needed.

Near East, North Africa, Europe and Central Asia (NEN)
Alessia Marazzi and Khafiz Atymtay

Home to the mighty Sahara, there are few areas of the world as impacted by drought and desertification as the NEN region. In particular, the countries of the Middle East and North Africa are the most water-stressed on Earth, with the entire population expected to be affected by 2050.

While the impacts are less severe in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the changing climate could still force up to 5 million people to migrate internally by 2050.

With IFAD's support, rural people across the region are taking action to protect their land.

In Jordan, participants in the Rural Economic Growth and Employment Project are combatting water scarcity through sustainable irrigation, such as drip irrigation, hydroponics and solar-powered wells.

In Tajikistan, small-scale farmers restored degraded land with the support of the Community-Based Agricultural Support Project. With previously abandoned drainage channels in use once more, fresh water flows freely, salt water contamination is reduced and soil fertility is protected.

 

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
Oliver Page

Periodic droughts caused by El Niño are nothing new in the LAC region. But combined with climate change, these are becoming increasingly severe and long-lasting.

Agricultural production is at risk, and with it the region's food security. This, in turn, is exacerbating social challenges, such as the migration crisis in Central America and pervasive poverty in northeastern Brazil.

With approximately 70 per cent of IFAD funding in the LAC region going towards climate change adaptation or mitigation, rural people are working to increase their resilience.

In Brazil, a joint effort by IFAD, the Green Climate Fund and the Brazilian Development Bank promotes agroforestry in the semi-arid Sertão. This drought-resilient agricultural practice allows rural people to improve their livelihoods despite the changing climate.

And in Bolivia's arid High Plateau, rural communities built solar-powered boreholes with the support of PRO-CAMÉLIDOS. Where farmers once had to travel kilometres to fetch water for their llamas, they now have everything they need to thrive.

 

East and Southern Africa (ESA)
Bernard Keraita and Erica Doro

The most recent drought in East Africa was the worst in over 40 years. Between 2022 and 2023, more than 10 million livestock died and nearly 3 million people were displaced as crops failed and malnutrition spread.

Meanwhile, an ongoing drought in Southern Africa is damaging rural communities. In Zambia, nearly half of the country’s maize-growing area has seen its crops wilt, while over 9,000 drought-related cattle deaths have been reported in Zimbabwe.

Given the serious impact of drought and desertification in the region, investing in the climate resilience of rural communities is a top priority for IFAD.

In central Kenya, rural communities installed water pans with the support of the Upper Tana Catchment Natural Resource Management Project. Water is now collected during the rainy season and used for drip irrigation in the increasingly intense dry season.

In Zambia, drought-resistant forage seeds provided by the Enhanced Smallholder Livestock Investment Programme are allowing small-scale famers to continue feeding their livestock even when rainfall is scarce.

Stephen Matu was able to expand his farm in Kenya thanks to his new water pan, ensuring his family's food security. © IFAD/Translieu/Samuel Nyaberi

 

Asia and the Pacific Region (APR)
Anupa Rimal Lamichhane

Drought and desertification are a growing issue across this vast region, where 40 per cent of land is arid, semi-arid or dry sub-humid. Drought frequency has increased by 30 per cent in South Asia, with a lack of early warning systems exacerbating the problem.

The island nations of the Pacific, meanwhile, are vulnerable to drought because they rely heavily on rainfall for freshwater. As climate change makes this more erratic, agriculture and food security are at risk.

Rural communities in the region are making efforts to reverse these trends and combat drought and desertification by managing land sustainably, using water efficiently and targeting drivers of deforestation.

In Mongolia, where degradation already affects 90 per cent of all land, rural people have built deep wells with the support of the Project for Market and Pasture Management Development. These increase access to water, while pasture management plans ensure natural resources are used sustainably.

In Tonga, the Rural Innovation Project installed rain catchment tanks to ensure clean, safe drinking water year-round, even in periods of drought.

 

West and Central Africa (WCA)
Yao Bernard Brou and Paxina Chileshe

Crop failures, rising food prices and food insecurity are just some of the impacts of rising drought and desertification in the WCA region. The Sahel, which holds back the Sahara to the north, has shifted up to 200 kilometres southward over the past three decades.

This has far-reaching social consequences, including migration and conflict between nomadic and sedentary peoples. Women and girls, often responsible for collecting water, are disproportionately affected.

Addressing drought and desertification is essential to achieving sustainable development in the region – and rural people often have the solutions themselves.

In Burkina Faso and Niger, IFAD-supported farmers are using indigenous techniques like zai. These small pits are filled with organic matter to collect rainwater, attract insects that condition the soil and make the land fertile again.

And in Mauritania, with the PROGRES project, rural people are bringing their arid land back to life. Now that they can collect and store rainwater for irrigation using earth dykes, many inhabitants that had abandoned their fields have returned.

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Around the world, rural communities are proving that with the right support, drought and desertification are not insurmountable challenges. But as our planet dries up at ever quicker rates, far more investment is needed – and right now, only 0.8 per cent of total climate finance goes to small-scale farmers.

The world's regions, diverse as they are, share drought and diversification as a common challenge. Regional cooperation and knowledge-sharing can lead to solutions that work for the whole planet.

Publication date: 16 June 2024