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It's not that simple. Semi-arid areas where water can be provided consistently, can have agricultural advantages like more sunlight and fewer pests.
by satori99 5y ago
It's not that simple. Semi-arid areas where water can be provided consistently, can have agricultural advantages like more sunlight and fewer pests.
- s0rce 5y agoI don't think people understand that large rivers can flow through deserts and provide water.
- betwixthewires 5y agoNot only am I aware of this fact, I have actually been to a river in a desert! And there's still a reason not much grows there. You start piping the water from that river into the desert and grow tropical fruit orchards you wind up with problems, such as those we see in southern california, which you might be surprised to find out is what we are actually discussing, water shortages caused by trying to grow tropical fruit orchards in a desert with rivers flowing through it.
- s0rce 5y agoThat's not universally true though the Nile river delta and the Columbia basin have tons of agriculture and I'm not aware of water shortages, although large dams can cause issues.
- betwixthewires 5y agoBut water can't be provided consistently, hence them being arid. And when men try to engineer that problem away, you wind up with problems such as depleted aquifers...
- satori99 5y agoOh, generally I agree. I live in Australia. We, like much of the developed world, have built our cities and suburbs on the fertile parts of the country and drain our rivers to irrigate semi-arid farmlands. We only have one long river system, and we have nearly killed it outright via this behavior.