desertification
de·ser·ti·fication
noun
1.
the gradual transformation of habitable land into desert; is usually caused by climate change or by destructive use of the land
- “the dust storms in Korea are the result of rapid desertification in China”
Origin
From desert + -ification (“process of becoming”).
Related words
Broader terms
WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.