Desertification as a Social–Ecological Trap: How Does It Come About and What Are Namibian Freehold Farmers Doing About It?

Desertification, accompanied by the loss of perennial grasses and bush encroachment, affects more than 10% of the world’s drylands, thereby placing increasing pressure on rangelands and farmers’ livelihoods. In Namibia, rangeland desertification is exacerbated by external shocks such as droughts, market changes, and new regulatory frameworks that have led to profound social and ecological changes within this tightly coupled social–ecological system (SES). In this context, the interrelationship among system components, drivers, and external factors, as well as the impact of strategies to halt desertification, remain poorly understood. The present study employed a retrospective mixed-methods approach to investigate the drivers of desertification on Namibia’s freehold farms by applying the social–ecological trap (SET) concept. Our approach combined remote sensing methods with semi-structured interviews and a literature review. The aim was to decipher the underlying processes and self-reinforcing feedback loops and to identify associated changes in the social and ecological subsystem. Our results revealed that inadequate grass availability, coupled with income deficits, serves as a pivotal catalyst for rangeland desertification, perpetuating a self-reinforcing feedback loop. To avoid or mitigate the effects of ecological regime shifts and to help farmers escape the SET of desertification, it will be necessary to implement changes in the dominant feedback loops through long-term risk mitigation strategies, such as rangeland restoration measures, as well as on- and off-farm income diversification. These strategies will provide a foundation for subsequent research on effective long-term mitigation strategies to prevent further rangeland desertification and to secure the livelihoods of farmers.