Site Contents Desertification Photo taken in Burkina Faso during the dry season shows free-roaming cattle, evergreen trees, and millet residues.
Cattle graze on seedlings, reducing shrub and tree cover.
In turn there is less fodder during the dry season, and more runoff and erosion when it rains. Home Page Overview Desertification is a serious problem in the Sahel Region of Africa. However, pinpointing the precise cause of desertification is impossible at this time. As the phenomenon of desertification was further studied, more theories as to its cause emerged, many claiming unsuitable agricultural practices in the affected areas as the cause. The intercropping of perennials with annual food crops reduces erosion, and shelters annuals from extremes of climate.