AFRICA'S ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES| QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
VERIFIED SOLUTIONS 100%|GRADE A+|LATEST 2024/2025
What is irrigation? - ✔✔The supplying of water through ditches, pipes, or canals to areas without water,
usually for the purpose of growing crops
What is the process of deserts like the Sahara getting bigger & areas like the Sahel getting smaller? -
✔✔Desertification
What are 4 causes of deforestation in Africa? - ✔✔1. Logging - lumber for building and paper
2. Settlement - space for houses
3. Agriculture - space for farming
4. Firewood - to cook and provide heat
What are 4 effects (results) of deforestation in Africa? - ✔✔1. Erosion of the fertile topsoil b/c there are
no plant roots to hold the soil in place
2. Poor soil b/c the fertile soil has been eroded
3. Poor harvests b/c the soil does not have the nutrients to feed the crops
4. Hunger b/c farmers have poor harvest (cannot grow crops)
Why is slash and burn agriculture harmful to Africa's soil? - ✔✔• It causes deforestation in the rainforest
• People cut down and burn the trees as fertilizer, use up the nutrients of the soil after several years of
farming the land, then move to a new part of the rainforest where they start the slash and burn cycle all
over again
What are 4 causes of desertification in Africa? - ✔✔1. Deforestation -cutting down trees which takes
away the plant roots that hold good soil in place, eventually leading to erosion so bad that no new
plants can grow
2. Drought - long periods without rain means that plants cannot grow
3. Overgrazing - animals eat too much vegetation which strips the land of plant roots that hold good soil
in place, eventually leading to erosion so bad that no new plants can grow
VERIFIED SOLUTIONS 100%|GRADE A+|LATEST 2024/2025
What is irrigation? - ✔✔The supplying of water through ditches, pipes, or canals to areas without water,
usually for the purpose of growing crops
What is the process of deserts like the Sahara getting bigger & areas like the Sahel getting smaller? -
✔✔Desertification
What are 4 causes of deforestation in Africa? - ✔✔1. Logging - lumber for building and paper
2. Settlement - space for houses
3. Agriculture - space for farming
4. Firewood - to cook and provide heat
What are 4 effects (results) of deforestation in Africa? - ✔✔1. Erosion of the fertile topsoil b/c there are
no plant roots to hold the soil in place
2. Poor soil b/c the fertile soil has been eroded
3. Poor harvests b/c the soil does not have the nutrients to feed the crops
4. Hunger b/c farmers have poor harvest (cannot grow crops)
Why is slash and burn agriculture harmful to Africa's soil? - ✔✔• It causes deforestation in the rainforest
• People cut down and burn the trees as fertilizer, use up the nutrients of the soil after several years of
farming the land, then move to a new part of the rainforest where they start the slash and burn cycle all
over again
What are 4 causes of desertification in Africa? - ✔✔1. Deforestation -cutting down trees which takes
away the plant roots that hold good soil in place, eventually leading to erosion so bad that no new
plants can grow
2. Drought - long periods without rain means that plants cannot grow
3. Overgrazing - animals eat too much vegetation which strips the land of plant roots that hold good soil
in place, eventually leading to erosion so bad that no new plants can grow
