Somewhat qualified guess (studied agriculture and forestry for 1.5 years): If the desert expands that will most likely definitely destroy the areas. And while

Somewhat qualified guess (studied agriculture and forestry for 1.5 years): If the desert expands that will most likely definitely destroy the areas. And while trees will use a lot of water (somewhat depending on specie I think) they'd hopefully also provide protection against direct sunlight for a more diverse ecosystem to establish. Compared to the Midwestern way of pumping groundwater only to grow seasonal crops this seems like a good step in a better direction.