There are many dry areas around the world. China had some success and some failures in turning the desert green.
Others have the same problem
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This video i posted before elsewhere is a great example of how to green up the desert
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Geoff Lawton has some nice videos about his Greening The Desert project, which is in Jordan if memory serves me correctly. I think they get less than two inches of rainfall annually.
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Projects that supply water to distant residents are under way in many countries. Noone has saiđ if attempts will be made in the desert to green things back up.
beautiful videos right? We made a bit of money and continue to make money from our jujube-related venture, but to us a greater and more meaningful venture would be to broadcast self-rooted clones of us-born and us-bred juju cultivars to as many folks who might have otherwise barren patches of mother earth, and to let them sucker profusely in all directions. Long-lived pest-resistant and drought-tolerant trees are some of nature’s best carbon sinks, and it sure helps that jujube fruits/plant specimens are of high nutritional and monetary value.
we have this bad case of environmentalism-capitalism-altruism- and vanity all at the same time
it’s not making the desert green, but related to the topic.
I read a few reports of trying to establish hydroponics in the desert because it uses a lot less water.
I thought it was a good idea, I think hydroponics is a good idea anyway because it’s much more efficient in almost every way, less pesticide…
but it costs money to build and it is more complicated than normal farming. but it would be an advantage where water and fertilizer is scarce.
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Jujube taste great but i dont eat more than 100 or so a year. They are a great desert plant. Autumn olive i think are made for the desert.
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autumn olive has been in my radar too, unfortunately haven’t experimented much with. Am hoping that current market(for autumn olive fruits) will soon be receptive.
there is another desert-hardy species not related to jujube but has a similar name-- “jojoba”, which is the source of valuable jojoba oil used for cosmetics, apart from being an excellent substitute for whale oil, which spares having to get it from whales…
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Autumn olives are considered an invasive because they are so good at surviving in places like the desert.
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i got 3 of them growing happily in a poor soil, gravelly spot in the yard. all are cultivars of rooted plugs from fruitwood nursery.
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i am corrupted in my opinion about this.
but I think hydroponics are a advance because you need a lot less water, less fertilizer and if it’s sterile less herbicides.
plants grow faster and more prolific in hydroponics…
you can set it up anywhere…
and less fertilizer and pesticides end up in the soil/groundwater.
And if it is hermetic sealed you can do GMO plants if the plant material cannot cross or continue to multiply
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Lets say as an example you are growing duckweed which you feed to tilapia. The tilapia water feeds plants. The duckweed you grow is free to you then you have fish and fish emulsions as a byproduct. People need protein and vegetables which you have both with aquaponics. I’m a believer in non gmo because i want to save seeds. Heirloom vegetables allows me to be in control of my seed and my food supply.
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yeah, it is famous for being such an excellent filler of otherwise dead soil, and even adding nitrogen to it, which would jumpstart growth of other species. My qualms about it is that it isn’t really a high-value crop(at least not until people start liking it), and the fruits are on the tiny side which can be a drawback for marketing. The fruits aren’t particularly sweet(at least the few pieces i got to try).
It facinates me that 10,000 years ago, when things were warmer in the northern hemisphere, and storms had enough energy to push farther north in Africa, the Sahara was not a desert. It seems like few people are aware of this information. It’s interesting to read about the African Humid Period.
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There are those who say an interesting thing about the sphinx in Egypt is it contains erosion from water whereas the pyramids contain wind erosion only. Since the objects are close together it helps us determine the age. The sphinx containing erosion in this way allows us to know it predates the pyramids. Many reject the claim others support it.
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I think that aquaponic is effective.
I am not categorically against GMO.
but it makes no difference which opinion or others with more influence have.
there is that attractive opportunity so no matter what others think, some people will do it.
but I think this playing with genetics should be controlled. e.g. make sure it doesn’t cross with other plants in nature.
if you can make the desert green in a sustainable and safe way, that’s great.
and it’s a very good idea to have drought-resistant plants that also take nitrogen from the air into the soil and protect from erosion…
but if there is no hidden water storage, you have to bring the water there to produce really sustainable food, don’t know if that makes a lot of sense 
Especially on some countries fresh water became rarer in the last years
I would rather establish hydroponics to save water and fertilizer. or both
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