Steppe can be defined as a usually treeless arid grass landscape of moderate and subtropical climates. Steppe areas form the transition between subtropics and deserts. Typical plants are grasses, perennial, tuber and bulb plants.

The largest parts of the steppes today are cultivated landscapes that significantly increase the danger of soil erosion. Estimations by the FAO show that five to seven million hectares of agricultural land are lost through soil erosion every year. In Africa, steppes are especially wide spread in South Africa, where they are called “Veld”.

Steppes are characterized by either hot, dry summers and cool, damp winters or by extremely cold and snow-rich winters of the continental steppes. Continental steppes have a monotonous vegetation, according to which the steppes are differentiated.

Desertification or steppisation happens due to water shortage and a decrease of the variety of the fauna and the flora – the landscapes are slowly drained. Reasons can be the decrease of the groundwater level (caused by groundwater extraction), river regulations, groundwater barriers or climatic changes.

Substantial deforestation and the consequential destruction of the upper soil layer can cause steppisation, since the water is no longer held back. If agriculture is no longer possible without intensive irrigation, the rural exodus is intensified.

Forestation in semiarid areas can improve water storage for agriculture and plants in the soil.