Because climatic uncertainty has now become "the
new normal," many farmers, gardeners and orchard-keepers
are desperately seeking ways to adapt their food
production to become more resilient in the face of such
"global weirding". This book draws upon the wisdom and
technical knowledge from desert farming traditions all
around the world to offer time-tried strategies for:
Building greater moisture-holding capacity and nutrients
in soils Protecting fields from damaging winds, drought,
and floods Harvesting water from uplands to use in rain
gardens and terraces filled with perennial crops
Selecting fruits, nuts, succulents, and herbaceous
perennials that are best suited to warmer, drier
climates Gary Paul Nabhan is one of the world's experts
on the agricultural traditions of arid lands. For this
book he has visited indigenous and traditional farmers
in the Gobi Desert, the Arabian Peninsula, the Sahara
Desert, and Andalusia, as well as the Sonoran,
Chihuahuan, and Painted deserts of North America, to
learn first-hand their techniques and designs aimed at
reducing heat and drought stress on orchards, fields,
and dooryard gardens. This practical book also includes
colourful "parables from the field" that exemplify how
desert farmers think about increasing the carrying
capacity and resilience of the lands and waters they
steward. It is replete with detailed descriptions and
diagrams of how to implement these desert-adapted
practices in your own backyard, orchard, or farm.
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