In several desert regions in the world,deserts are moving closer to where humans live.Desert in sub-Saharan Africa (the dry and sticky areas south of the Sahara) are encroaching on villages and towns. This means the sand are spreading closer to villages and cities.This process is called desertification.This causes deserts to spread into land that was previously farmland or dry plains.The Sahara is moving southwards at a rate of five to ten kilometers a year.The Gobi Desert that covers Momgolia and northwestern China is now only 1000 kilometer from Beijing.