The parts of the earth where evaporation is high and rainfall is scarce, making it difficult for plants, animals and human beings to survive are known as deserts. They cover around 20% of the world’s land surface.
Desertification is defined as the process of the spread of desert conditions to the peripheral areas. Currently about 35% of the world’s land surface is affected by the process of desertification. According to a meeting held in Nairobi in 1977 by the United Nations, desertification is “the diminution or destruction of the biological potential of the land leading ultimately to desert-like conditions.”