Arid-zone agriculture
Encyclopedia
As an area of research and development, arid-zone agriculture, or desert agriculture
, includes studies of how to increase the agricultural productivity
of lands dominated by lack of freshwater, an abundance of heat and sunlight, and usually one or more of extreme winter cold, short rainy season, saline soil or water, strong dry winds, poor soil structure, over-grazing, limited technological development, poverty, political instability.
The two basic approaches are
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, includes studies of how to increase the agricultural productivity
Agricultural productivity
Agricultural productivity is measured as the ratio of agricultural outputs to agricultural inputs. While individual products are usually measured by weight, their varying densities make measuring overall agricultural output difficult...
of lands dominated by lack of freshwater, an abundance of heat and sunlight, and usually one or more of extreme winter cold, short rainy season, saline soil or water, strong dry winds, poor soil structure, over-grazing, limited technological development, poverty, political instability.
The two basic approaches are
- view the given environmental and socioeconomic characteristics as negative obstacles to be overcome
- view as many as possible of them as positive resources to be used
See also
- Agriculture in IsraelAgriculture in IsraelAgriculture in Israel is a highly developed industry: Israel is a major exporter of fresh produce and a world-leader in agricultural technologies despite the fact that the geography of Israel is not naturally conducive to agriculture. More than half of the land area is desert, and the climate and...
- BiosalinityBiosalinityBiosalinity is the study and practice of using saline water for irrigating agricultural crops.Many arid and semi-arid areas actually do have sources of water, but the available water is usually brackish or saline . The water may be present in underground aquifers or as seawater along coastal...
- International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry AreasInternational Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry AreasInternational Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas is an Arab center for International Agricultural Research located at Tel Hadya near Aleppo in the Syrian Arab Republic....
- University of Arid AgricultureUniversity of Arid AgricultureThe University of Arid Agriculture is located at Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan. In the 1970s, the government of Punjab established an Agricultural College in Rawalpindi for the development of rain fed agriculture. The college was upgraded to the level of the University in 1994.. The University is...
(in Rawalpindi in Pakistan) - XeriscapingXeriscapingXeriscaping and xerogardening refers to landscaping and gardening in ways that reduce or eliminate the need for supplemental water from irrigation...
- XerophyteXerophyteA xerophyte or xerophytic organism is a plant which has adapted to survive in an environment that lacks water, such as a desert. Xerophytic plants may have adapted shapes and forms or internal functions that reduce their water loss or store water during long periods of dryness...
- Desert agriculture
- Dryland farmingDryland farmingDryland farming is an agricultural technique for non-irrigated cultivation of drylands.-Locations:Dryland farming is used in the Great Plains, the Palouse plateau of Eastern Washington, and other arid regions of North America, the Middle East and in other grain growing regions such as the steppes...
External links and further reading
- P. Koohafkan and B.A. Stewart, Water and Cereals in Drylands published by The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and EarthscanEarthscanEarthscan is an English language publisher of books and journals on climate change, sustainable development and environmental technology for academic, professional and general readers....