Is soil degradation the same as desertification?

The answer

No, they are related but not identical. Soil degradation can occur anywhere, while desertification refers to land degradation in dry regions, where it results from a mix of climate variation and human pressure. FAO's soils portal describes it as land degradation in dryland areas, or a change so severe that the land can no longer be recovered for its original use. Degraded soil is one of the main ingredients of desertification, but a degraded garden in a wet climate is not desertified.