The vegetation line between the two regions in fact moved back and forth with the rainfall, the article says. No one denies that what is taking place in the drylands is serious. In another instance, Swedish scientists combined satellite and air observation to determine that desertification was not occurring in the Sahara-Sahel region of the Sudan. Changes that did take place in the vegetative cover in the area could all be explained by rain and weather-related patterns. Dr. James Ellis of the Center for Environment and Sustainable Agriculture said he believes climate changes keep drylands in a constant state of disequilibrium and plays a bigger role in desertification than human activity.
Human activity is most likely responsible for playing some part in food production variability.
The biggest contributing factors include overgrazing, and over-cultivation due to population pressures which lead to soil erosion and reduced vegetation. In many countries facing desertification problems, herders are nomadic, moving from one region and back with the rains. Increasingly, when they return to one region, they are finding the land plowed behind them by farming interests. However, a solution is needed and Cardy said he doesn't believe simply moving people is the answer as populations continue to grow. Cardy said thought is being given to developing aid packages which cater to local traditions and a population's historical ability to deal with climatological variations.