Desertification has been a buzzword for years now. For example the Sahara is expanding into the Sahel, in the process of desertification. It is usually used as a direct synonym for "land degradation." This article challenges that approach and critiques how the term has been wielded against landscapes and people. In our conversation, Rosetta points out the problematic roots and uses of the word “desertification”—which is tied to the presumptive conclusion of drylands as “unproductive” landscapes needing to be fixed. Even though the United Nations states that drylands are associated with food insecurity and economic poverty, I was more curious to critique the confounding factors of land access, land privatization and borders preventing open migration, and intensive and flood irrigation-dependent agriculture not suited to such bioregions.
The podcast interview with Rosetta Elkin can be heard here.
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