{"id":23532,"date":"2025-07-31T13:40:48","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T11:40:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/?p=23532"},"modified":"2025-10-24T15:40:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-24T13:40:23","slug":"what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the degradation of agricultural land?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2013 What happens then<\/span><\/h1>\n

When agricultural land becomes degraded, it means that fertile soil gradually loses its quality until the land is barely usable for farming. This process is known as land degradation, desertification, or desert formation. Desertification is a growing problem around the world. In Europe, for example, the risk is highest in southern Portugal, parts of Spain and southern Italy, southeastern Greece, Malta, Cyprus, and in border areas near the Black Sea in Bulgaria and Romania.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What exactly happens when agricultural land degrades?<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u2022 \u00a0Loss of vegetation: Overgrazing, intensive farming, deforestation, or improper irrigation cause the protective plant cover to disappear. The soil is left exposed to wind and water.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Soil erosion: Wind and water wash away the fertile topsoil. This leads to a loss of essential nutrients and humus needed for plant growth. The soil becomes increasingly infertile.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Drying out and salinization: Without plants, the soil can no longer retain water. It dries out, becomes sandy or salty, especially in dry regions. Groundwater levels drop and water quality deteriorates.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Loss of biodiversity: Plants and animals that depend on fertile soils disappear. Landscapes become more monotonous and ecosystems lose stability.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Impact on agriculture: Crop yields decline, harvest failures increase. Eventually, the land can no longer be cultivated. This leads to economic losses and threatens food security.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the causes?<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Intensive agriculture: Too frequent use, short fallow periods, heavy machinery, and monocultures lead to soil compaction and nutrient depletion.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Overgrazing: Too many animals graze the land, removing vegetation and leaving the soil exposed.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Deforestation: Trees and shrubs are cleared to make space for farmland or settlements. The protective vegetation is lost.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Climate change: Extreme weather events such as droughts or heavy rains intensify erosion and accelerate desertification.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Improper irrigation: Too much or too little water and poor irrigation practices lead to salinization or drying of the soil.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What are the consequences for people and the environment?<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Food security: Food production declines, hunger and poverty increase, especially in developing countries.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Migration: People leave their homes because they can no longer live off the land. This leads to rural exodus and social conflicts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Environmental destruction: Biodiversity diminishes, water cycles are disrupted, and the climate is affected.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion:<\/span><\/h3>\n

The degradation of agricultural land is a slow process, accelerated by human activity and climate change. It leads to infertile soils, declining yields, and threatens the livelihood of millions of people around the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Author: Francesco del Orbe<\/span><\/p>\n



<\/span><\/p>\n



<\/span><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2013 What happens then When agricultural land becomes degraded, it means that fertile soil gradually loses its quality until the land is barely usable for farming. This process is known as land degradation, desertification, or desert formation. Desertification is a growing problem around the world. In Europe, for example, the risk is highest in southern…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":23533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[182],"tags":[261,253,254,263,307,267,260,255,433,264,265,252,250,434,259,262,268,308,207,266],"class_list":["post-23532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-agriculture","tag-biodiversity","tag-carbonneutral","tag-climate-action","tag-climate-change","tag-climate-farm","tag-climate-protection","tag-co2-binding","tag-earth-guardian","tag-earth-print","tag-ecosystem","tag-farming","tag-francesco-del-orbe","tag-fresopolis","tag-huter-der-erde-2","tag-healthy-soil","tag-microclimate","tag-planting","tag-regenerative-agricultura","tag-sustainability","tag-sustainable"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is the degradation of agricultural land?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When agricultural land becomes degraded, it means that fertile soil gradually loses its quality until the land is barely usable for farming. This process is known as land degradation, desertification, or desert formation.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is the degradation of agricultural land?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When agricultural land becomes degraded, it means that fertile soil gradually loses its quality until the land is barely usable for farming. This process is known as land degradation, desertification, or desert formation.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Earth Guardian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Fresopolis.Mallorca\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-31T11:40:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-24T13:40:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Verwuestung.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Francesco del Orbe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Francesco del Orbe\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Francesco del Orbe\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/a0a06f80af0ac1c434b44c9289f327ff\"},\"headline\":\"What is the degradation of agricultural land?\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-31T11:40:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-24T13:40:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/\"},\"wordCount\":411,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Verwuestung.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"biodiversity\",\"carbonneutral\",\"climate action\",\"climate change\",\"climate farm\",\"climate protection\",\"co2 binding\",\"earth guardian\",\"earth print\",\"ecosystem\",\"farming\",\"francesco del orbe\",\"fresopolis\",\"H\u00fcter der Erde\",\"healthy soil\",\"microclimate\",\"planting\",\"regenerative agricultura\",\"sustainability\",\"sustainable\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Agriculture\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/\",\"name\":\"What is the degradation of agricultural land?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Verwuestung.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-31T11:40:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-24T13:40:23+00:00\",\"description\":\"When agricultural land becomes degraded, it means that fertile soil gradually loses its quality until the land is barely usable for farming. This process is known as land degradation, desertification, or desert formation.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Verwuestung.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Verwuestung.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What is the degradation of agricultural land?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Earth Guardian\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Earthguardian\",\"alternateName\":\"Earthguardian Earth\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Logo-stacked.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Logo-stacked.svg\",\"width\":\"1024\",\"height\":\"1024\",\"caption\":\"Earthguardian\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Fresopolis.Mallorca\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/fresopolis.mallorca\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCu9D6GxBDXUImkm7dihPyvg\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/a0a06f80af0ac1c434b44c9289f327ff\",\"name\":\"Francesco del Orbe\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Francesco-del-Orbe-02-150x150.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Francesco-del-Orbe-02-150x150.png\",\"caption\":\"Francesco del Orbe\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/author\/ufdelorbe\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What is the degradation of agricultural land?","description":"When agricultural land becomes degraded, it means that fertile soil gradually loses its quality until the land is barely usable for farming. This process is known as land degradation, desertification, or desert formation.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What is the degradation of agricultural land?","og_description":"When agricultural land becomes degraded, it means that fertile soil gradually loses its quality until the land is barely usable for farming. This process is known as land degradation, desertification, or desert formation.","og_url":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/","og_site_name":"Earth Guardian","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Fresopolis.Mallorca","article_published_time":"2025-07-31T11:40:48+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-24T13:40:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Verwuestung.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Francesco del Orbe","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Francesco del Orbe","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/"},"author":{"name":"Francesco del Orbe","@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/a0a06f80af0ac1c434b44c9289f327ff"},"headline":"What is the degradation of agricultural land?","datePublished":"2025-07-31T11:40:48+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-24T13:40:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/"},"wordCount":411,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Verwuestung.jpg","keywords":["biodiversity","carbonneutral","climate action","climate change","climate farm","climate protection","co2 binding","earth guardian","earth print","ecosystem","farming","francesco del orbe","fresopolis","H\u00fcter der Erde","healthy soil","microclimate","planting","regenerative agricultura","sustainability","sustainable"],"articleSection":["Agriculture"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/","url":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/","name":"What is the degradation of agricultural land?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Verwuestung.jpg","datePublished":"2025-07-31T11:40:48+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-24T13:40:23+00:00","description":"When agricultural land becomes degraded, it means that fertile soil gradually loses its quality until the land is barely usable for farming. This process is known as land degradation, desertification, or desert formation.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Verwuestung.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Verwuestung.jpg","width":1200,"height":800},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/what-is-the-degradation-of-agricultural-land\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What is the degradation of agricultural land?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/","name":"Earth Guardian","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#organization","name":"Earthguardian","alternateName":"Earthguardian Earth","url":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Logo-stacked.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Logo-stacked.svg","width":"1024","height":"1024","caption":"Earthguardian"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Fresopolis.Mallorca","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/fresopolis.mallorca\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCu9D6GxBDXUImkm7dihPyvg"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/a0a06f80af0ac1c434b44c9289f327ff","name":"Francesco del Orbe","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Francesco-del-Orbe-02-150x150.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Francesco-del-Orbe-02-150x150.png","caption":"Francesco del Orbe"},"url":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/author\/ufdelorbe\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23532"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23532\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25853,"href":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23532\/revisions\/25853"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/earthguardian.earth\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}