The UN warned that the world is losing 1 millions square kilometres (386,000 square miles) of agricultural land every year to sand and dust storms. At least a quarter of storms could be attributed to human activity, primarily overmining and overgrazing. 

This primer from the Transnational Institute describes the diversity of pastoralist systems that are found around the world. Among other topics, it explains the similarities and differences between pastoralists and peasants; explores the ways in which pastoralists have inaccurately been blamed for desertification; argues that anti-livestock narratives should not conflate pastoralism and industrial livestock farming; and asks to what extent animal-sourced foods are important for nutrition.