Desertification and climate change: Impact on global food security

Desertification has been an environmental buzzword for more than 20 years. The concept has often been exaggerated and misused. The most seriously affected region in the world is the Sahel region in Africa where food security is continuously deteriorating. The desertification debate has diverted the focus of research and development from the important core problems of a regional climate change and the weak status of social institutions, in the search of technological solutions to the problems. Symptoms rather than causes have often been the focus. This article puts regional climate change and the role of social institutions into focus when discussing food security.