Question

Is desert farming possible ? how it can be performed ? what do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of farming ?​

Answer 1

Desert farming is the practice of developing agriculture in deserts. As agriculture depends upon irrigation and water supply, farming in arid regions where water is scarce is a challenge. However, desert farming has been practiced by humans for thousands of years. In the Negev Desert in Israel, there is evidence to suggest agriculture as far back as 5000 BC. Today, the Imperial Valley in southern California, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and Israel are examples of modern desert agriculture. Water efficiency has been important to the growth of desert agriculture. Water reuse, desalination, and drip irrigation are all modern ways that regions and countries have expanded their agriculture despite being in an arid climate.

Advantage: Abundance of Soil Nutrients

Because most deserts receive little to no rainfall and contain no subsurface water, soils have fairly low salt concentrations — a feature highly favorable for desert plant growth. Depending on the type of desert, soil types range from fine-textured sands to gravel and loose rock. Desert soil holds an abundance of nutrients because of the minute amounts of rainfall and surface runoff, and therefore lends itself easily to agricultural use, provided that an efficient irrigation system is developed.

Disadvantage: Lack of Water

Lack of water, the most evident disadvantage to deserts in general, results from the combined effects of insufficient rainfall and rapid water evaporation by nearby land masses. The rate of rainfall rarely exceeds the rate of evaporation, and it is not uncommon for rain to vaporize even before hitting the ground. The Atacama Desert in Chile, known as the driest place on Earth, receives less than 1 inch of rain per year, and some years gets virtually none at all. This is because of moisture blockage and draw-off by the Andes and the Chilean Coast mountain ranges. Though fairly seasonal, desert rainfall is unpredictable and very localized.

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