Drying Land, Dying Land
Several children wait anxiously, their stomachs as empty as the deserted land they sit upon. Their hunger overwhelms them, but their land can no longer feed them. A farmer surveys his plot, desperately searching for something to profit from, but nothing grows beneath the cracked earth. Three-quarters of the population in Kenya makes a living from subsistence agriculture (Nyawira). Already a primarily arid country, Kenya’s arable land is deteriorating because of desertification, leading to widespread famine and economic devastation (Gathigah).
Desertification is defined as the degradation or dehydration of fertile land due to various factors, including harmful agricultural practices, increasing population, and climate change (Kelley). For a while now, the number of people moving from the cities of Kenya to the arid and semiarid areas has been steadily increasing (Kelley). Many are in search of new opportunities and more land, however, most reach a deserted destination that has already been stripped of its resources (Kelley). Ultimately, desertification decreases the Kenyan peoples’ food security and financial stability.
Over time, the environment that people, plants, and animals rely on for survival is destroyed by desertification (Kelley). Because Kenyans are so dependent upon their land for food, the adverse effects of desertification are particularly dire. In early 2018, it was predicted that 3.9 million people in Kenya may be without a sustainable food source this year, which is half a million more than last year (Wakaya). Malnutrition is becoming an especially severe issue, with nearly 500,000 Kenyan children in need of treatment for the disease (Wakaya). The recent droughts and ongoing famine have even led Kenya’s government to recognize the situation as a national disaster (Hengari).
Through the process of desertification, the quality of the land is weakened, and thus agricultural productivity is diminished (Nyawira). This is alarming because, in 2013, the United Nations Development Programme found that more than 60% of Kenya’s population lives on less than one dollar a day (Kelley). This struggle is exemplified by a smallholder farmer and mother who expressed, in an interview, the increasing difficulty of supporting her three children through farming, especially given the condition of the farmland (Nyawira).
Although it is expected that desertification will continue to affect millions, several organizations, including the United Nations, are currently working with Kenya’s government to restore the land (Hengari). Moving forward, it is critical that Kenya’s government partners with the community to create sustainable land management plans, such as promoting crop diversification (Gathigah) (Kenya to Wean). By doing so, it is not only believed that degraded land can be restored, but that food security and financial stability can be improved as well (Hengari). Regardless, all Kenyans should be made aware of the situation and support the changes being made. By working together, Kenya can overcome this great challenge.
Several children wait anxiously, their stomachs as empty as the deserted land they sit upon. Their hunger overwhelms them, but their land can no longer feed them. A farmer surveys his plot, desperately searching for something to profit from, but nothing grows beneath the cracked earth. Three-quarters of the population in Kenya makes a living from subsistence agriculture (Nyawira). Already a primarily arid country, Kenya’s arable land is deteriorating because of desertification, leading to widespread famine and economic devastation (Gathigah).
Desertification is defined as the degradation or dehydration of fertile land due to various factors, including harmful agricultural practices, increasing population, and climate change (Kelley). For a while now, the number of people moving from the cities of Kenya to the arid and semiarid areas has been steadily increasing (Kelley). Many are in search of new opportunities and more land, however, most reach a deserted destination that has already been stripped of its resources (Kelley). Ultimately, desertification decreases the Kenyan peoples’ food security and financial stability.
Over time, the environment that people, plants, and animals rely on for survival is destroyed by desertification (Kelley). Because Kenyans are so dependent upon their land for food, the adverse effects of desertification are particularly dire. In early 2018, it was predicted that 3.9 million people in Kenya may be without a sustainable food source this year, which is half a million more than last year (Wakaya). Malnutrition is becoming an especially severe issue, with nearly 500,000 Kenyan children in need of treatment for the disease (Wakaya). The recent droughts and ongoing famine have even led Kenya’s government to recognize the situation as a national disaster (Hengari).
Through the process of desertification, the quality of the land is weakened, and thus agricultural productivity is diminished (Nyawira). This is alarming because, in 2013, the United Nations Development Programme found that more than 60% of Kenya’s population lives on less than one dollar a day (Kelley). This struggle is exemplified by a smallholder farmer and mother who expressed, in an interview, the increasing difficulty of supporting her three children through farming, especially given the condition of the farmland (Nyawira).
Although it is expected that desertification will continue to affect millions, several organizations, including the United Nations, are currently working with Kenya’s government to restore the land (Hengari). Moving forward, it is critical that Kenya’s government partners with the community to create sustainable land management plans, such as promoting crop diversification (Gathigah) (Kenya to Wean). By doing so, it is not only believed that degraded land can be restored, but that food security and financial stability can be improved as well (Hengari). Regardless, all Kenyans should be made aware of the situation and support the changes being made. By working together, Kenya can overcome this great challenge.
Bibliography
Gathigah, Miriam. “Ravaging Drought Deepens in Kenya.” Inter Press Service, 13 Feb. 2017,
www.ipsnews.net/2017/02/ravaging-drought-deepens-in-kenya/.
Hengari, Simeon. “Kenya Launches Roadmap to Set Land Degradation Neutrality Targets.”UNCCD, 16 Mar.
2017, www2.unccd.int/news-events/kenya-launches-roadmap-set-land-degradation-neutrality
targets.
targets.
Kelley, Anna Grace. “Desertification in Kenya.” Writing Across the Disciplines, The University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, 22 Sept. 2016, english105053.web.unc.edu/2016/09/desertification-in-kenya/.
Nyawira, Brigitta. “How Mobile Money Is Closing the Agricultural Finance Gap for Women in Kenya.” Center
for Financial Inclusion Blog, Grameen Foundation, 5 Oct. 2017, cfi-blog.org/2017/10/03/how-mobile-money-is-closing-the-agricultural-finance-gap-for-women-in-kenya/.
Wakaya, Jeremiah. “Half a Million More Kenyans to Face Food Insecurity in 2018.” Capital News, 13 Feb. 2018, www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2018/02/half-million-kenyans-face-food-insecurity-2018/.
“Kenya to Wean Off Maize Reliance With Crop Diversification: Official.” Xinhua News Agency, Global Issues In Context, 19 Jan. 2018, ic.galegroup.com/ic/gic/NewsDetailsPage/NewsDetailsWindow?disableHighlighting=false&displayGroupName=News&currPage=&scanId=&query=&docIndex=&source=&prodId=GIC&search_within_results=&p=GIC%3AOVIC&mode=view&catId=&u=los42754&limiter=&display-query=&displayGroups=&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&documentId=GALE%7CA523696185&windowstate=normal&activityType=BasicSearch&failOverType=&commentary=.
1. I really enjoyed how thorough your different points were. Every question I had was answered by the next sentence.
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3. What solutions have the Kenyan government already implemented?
I really like your hook, it definitely grabs the reader's attention and makes you want to keep reading. The urgent state of the issue is definitely worrying, and I'd be interested to further learn how the desertification arose, or how it developed in the past few years. A follow up question would be what kind of specific action (besides crop diversification) is being taken to address the issue?
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