Desertification

A desert is a beautiful land of silence and space. The sun shines, the wind blows, and time and space seem endless. Nothing is soft. The sand and rocks are hard and many of the plants even have thorns instead of leaves.
In developing countries, 90% of the people use wood for cooking and for other activities. Because the number of people is increasing, the need for food is also increasing. So people cut down the trees to clear the land for farming.
Animals too, cause the desert to spread. They eat the grass and destroy a lot of plants on their way.
Desertification is causing serious problems to Sahelian countries where governments are still trying to find solutions to stop it.