In case anyone is wondering why on earth we're growing so much food in the middle of the desert, you can look to lack of disease as an answer. I mean, there's

In case anyone is wondering why on earth we're growing so much food in the middle of the desert, you can look to lack of disease as an answer. I mean, there's more to it than that. The warmer climate means the southwest has more growing days, but that's kind of a no-brainer for a lot of people. The disease part is a little less obvious though. Take a look at grapes. A lot of grapes are grown in very arid environments. Why is that? Well, that's because grapes are susceptible to a particular fungus called Black Rot. In parts of the United States with particularly wet and humid summers, this disease can pretty much destroy your entire harvest. In dry, arid parts of the country, however, it's unheard of. So that's just on example, but the rule can apply for just about any type of fungus. If you are growing fruits and vegetables in a water-rich but particularly humid part of the United States then you are going to have to contend with more fungus than those parts of the United States that are considered a desert. It's not just fungus either mind you. Pretty much every agricultural pest known to man thrives in water-rich but humid parts of the country, but is less common in those parts of the country considered desert. So, there you go, that's why we don't grow more fruits and vegetables in, say, southeastern Texas, which is especially wet. That being said, overcoming the pests that come with humid weather isn't a terribly hard problem to solve. There are plant varieties out there that have been bred to be more resistant to humid-weather diseases. Some of these are even heirloom crops, meaning they've been around for a while. Unfortunately, there's usually some kind of downside. Maybe the crops in question are less flavorful. Maybe the yields are smaller. Maybe they don't ship well over long distances. Each of these are pretty serious commercial considerations that usually restricts these crops to the niche market of quirky local organic farmers. When it comes to grapes in southeastern Texas, you're dealing with a less familiar taste and an utter lack of brand recognition. As a consequence, southeastern Texas wine producers really need to rely on agritourism to sell their product, otherwise I doubt a single one of them would be in business. I see ag-tech as a potential solution, but the end result wouldn't necessarily be solutions that make urban farming more feasible, but rather solutions that make it possible to control pests more effectively, preferably in a non-GMO and organic fashion, so we can grow the same crops cultivars typically grown in the desert. Removing the various middle-men that stand between small farms and the consumer would also help. Smaller farms can manage pests more effectively and they're more open to trying out atypical crop cultivars, including cultivars that may taste better but have smaller yields or don't ship well. Problem is, small farms typically aren't economically viable due to the bargaining power that crop buyers and grocers possess. If you want to stop growing food in the desert, give them more price bargaining power so they can at least make a living.