The term “desertification” was first used in the early twentieth century. Its use spread quickly throughout colonial Africa, reinforced by the powerful image of the encroaching desert. From the outset, the causes of desertification have been linked to climate aridification (“desiccation”) and environmental degradation, particularly that related to vegetation cover (deforestation, savannization, etc.) and soil (wind erosion, run-off, loss of fertility, etc.).

It was later mainly associated with poor environmental management by rural populations. This devaluation of rural environmental management techniques continued after countries gained their independence, mainly because the productivity levels of family farming did not meet the productivist and modernist aspirations of the new states. But the 1969–1973 and 1983–1984 droughts tipped the balance once again towards climatic causes – a view that has since gained traction with the impacts of climate change.

The severity of the environmental, social and economic crisis triggered by the droughts of the 1970s and 1980s led to widespreadmedia coverage of the term “desertification”, bringing it into the mainstream vernacular alongside “climate change” and “biodiversity”.

This book answers questions about the nature of desertification, its geographical extent and its connection to deserts, climate variations and climate change (chapter 1). It also examines the causes of vegetation and soil degradation and the repercussions on ecosystems, biodiversity, water resources and the climate, along with the impact of those repercussions on human societies and the economy (chapter 2). This book also looks at adaptation strategies and methods for combating desertification (chapter 3) and delves into the history of these adaptations and struggles, the mechanisms deployed at local, national and international levels, and the efforts of specialized research and training programmes to tackle the issue (chapter 4).

Throughout the book, readers will see that desertification, and efforts to combat it, must account for the multifaceted complexity of the phenomenon, from its biophysical and socioeconomic aspects to the many stakeholders, scales of study and actions that are involved. Similarly, the spatial and temporal dynamics of causes and solutions are an essential part of the reflection process.