The rain forest derives its name from its capacity for sustenance through constant rain enhanced by the abundance of trees. The trees, through transpiration, send water back into the atmosphere to create rain-bearing clouds. It is this process that is undermined when deforestation takes place. Thus, deforestation has a direct impact on farming and, therefore, food production.

There are many ways in which forests get depleted. Brushfires contribute immensely but don't do half the damage that man's demand for shelter, furniture and industrialization has done. In Africa, for example, many homes are springing up in places where forests separated one town from another. The technology to recycle wood has not caught on well so manufacturers constantly return to the forest to fell trees. As a result, the Sahara desert is gradually creeping south to areas that used to be forest regions. Droughts are gradually becoming a regular feature, causing food production in affected areas to go so low as to reach alarming proportions.

There was a time in Africa when, to preserve the forest, a set of drums belonged to the whole community. These days, every individual wants to own his own set of drums. The forest suffers for it. Some time ago, the whole community settled in a small parcel of land and left a large tract of land to farm on. Today, individuals build mansions on acres of land and plant decorative flowers on whatever is not covered by the building. The forest has no chance!

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