1.1 Introduction

    Soil can be described as the skin that covers the earth.  It "covers two thirds of the [earth's] total land area but only 22 percent of this (or 5.5% of the earth's total surface) is suitable for farming" (Boukhari, 1999: 10).  Soils are a limited resource that should be protected, just as water, forests, and air resources are protected.  Soils take many years to form and therefore, management efforts should be put into effect quickly so as to prevent further deterioration.
    In Africa, "widespread degradation and loss of cropland, coupled with Africa's burgeoning population, has contributed to a growing food deficit" (Africa, 1996: 30).  This project proposes possible site locations for an information and support centre to help manage and reverse soil deterioration.
 
 

   1.2 Background research

    Land degradation is not just an African problem, it occurs world wide.  According to Boukhari (1999) the total area of soil degradation for each of the listed causes around the world were:
  -- 11 million sq/km water erosion
  -- 5.5 million sq/km wind erosion
  -- 5.5 million sq/km poor farming methods
  -- 2.5 million sq/km chemical products
  -- 1.4 million sq/km firewood collecting

    All of these causes occur though out the continent of Africa.  However, because the purpose of the analysis is the placement of a support and information centre, only human impacts such as grazing, agricultural practices, and population densities will be considered as they would benefit the most from such an institution.  The causes of poor agricultural and grazing practices are complex and can be explained by Barrow (1991) who lists four major social processes that can be correlated with land degradation:

     i. Population increases:  The continent has experienced continual population increases.  This is a Malthusian argument where "increasing demographic pressure results in over use of reasonable quality land and/or the misuse of marginal, often easily degraded land" (Barrow, 1991: 16).  In other words, Africa has more need for resources due to population increases but its resource base is diminishing due to misuse and subsequent destruction.
    ii. Marginalization: Barrow attributes marginalization to degradation where locals are forced, or attracted to marginal lands because the good lands are already owned.
    iii. Poverty: Poverty has an impact for "poor people generally have no choice but to opt for immediate benefit, very often at the expense of long term sustainability, and they might be quite aware of this" (Barrow, 1991: 18).  It is often the case in Africa that resources are needed immediately for feeding the public; in these times, sustainability becomes second to necessity.
    iv. Political instability:  Africa is home to 10 percent of the world's population, half the world's refugees and 70 percent of Africa has experienced serious conflict since the 1950's (Barrow, 1991).  Degradation initiatives need government support and finance which is often unavailable in times of conflict.  Even if planning initiatives are undertaken, rural peoples are often not included in the planning process and may distrust officials and, therefore, resist innovations designed to help them or lessen environmental impacts.

    1.3 Hypothesis

    It would be simplistic to assume that all soil deterioration could be countered or even reversed by the establishment of an information centre.  The social issues that are linked to poor land management practices are complex and well beyond the scope of this project.  That taken into consideration, this project will provide possible locations for the placement of an information and support centre designed to educate the public of soil deterioration in order to help limit the amount of land degradation.  The centre will also provide support to those that need it when soil deterioration is beyond the control of land managers, such as in times of drought.
    Two analyses have been conducted, one a Boolean Multi-criteria evaluation and the second a Non-boolean weighted linear combination to find the areas of the worst degradation at the highest rate, from both farming and grazing practices, with large population densities.

    1.4  Study area

    Living Atlas (2000)
 

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