Did you know that soil is a “living” system that “breathes.” In fact, a healthy soil reduces the impact of climate change, storing up to 10% of the world’s CO2 emissions!

What are the environmental problems facing African nations today? DO NOW: Describe and explain the following terms. desertification deforestation water scarcity

What is soil made of? Organic matter is the glue that holds the mineral particles together. In dry soil, the air spaces between the mineral particles and organic matter are large and dry. In moist soil, the air spaces between the mineral particles and organic mater are small and moist. Mineral particles are combination of sand, silt and clay. All soil contains mineral particles, organic matter, air and water.

hard, difficult to dig in water collects on surface lacks substantial organic matter erodes easily drains really quickly lack substantial organic matter crumbly water drains well lots of organic matter Which of these is the ideal soil to farm in? What needs to be done to the other two soils to improve them for farming? Is it even possible?

What is degraded soil? Map Analysis: Soil degradation is pervasive throughout the world. Our Conclusion: Soil degradation is hard to reverse. How does soil become degraded?

Define and identify the regions where these problems exist: water erosion wind erosion contamination salinisation

overgrazing wind erosiondrought DESERTIFICATION

DEFORESTATION

adequate water supply: refers to the fact that water can be made available -rainwater/moisture -underground wells -dams water stress vulnerability : changes in water resources resulting from: -changes in precipitation and natural stored water availability bc of climate change -overuse/misuse in agricultural production water scarcity: water not readily available -economic water scarcity -physical water scarcity map observation: Where should there be the concerns about access to water?

economic water scarcity: refers to the fact that finding a reliable source of safe water is time consuming and expensive -can be addressed quickly & effectively with simple infrastructure to collect rainwater and build damns physical water scarcity: is when there simply is not enough water within a given region -geographic limits -water extraction -global warming map analysis: Water scarcity is both a manmade and natural phenomenon. The majority of sub-Saharan Africa suffers from economic scarcity because of the lack of money needed to build infrastructure to access and use water sources. Money is not available in many areas b/c of the lack of industrial development and poverty. In addition, many countries experience political instability and/or ethnic conflict that has led to an unequal distribution of resources.

WATER SCARCITY

Describe and explain the 3 geographic challenges facing Africa today. desertification deforestation water scarcity

Analyze these challenges. What is contributing to these problems? over use of soil population growth climate change

Solutions? Whose problem is it? Is it a national problem? If so, who has the responsibility to address and fix it? public policy of the country

Solutions? Whose problem is it? Is it a continental problem concerning a shared resource? If so, who has the responsibility to address and fix it? Pan-African agreements and actions

Solutions? Whose problem is it? Is it a problem facing humanity as a whole? If so, who has the responsibility to address and fix it? global citizenship Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)