Remundo wrote:The supply of water and nutrients will always be problematic in the desert without significant mechanical energy contributions (pumping, transport, desalination). What do you think ?
Unfortunately I did not have time to read all the messages from our new friend Gaia but it also seems interesting to me to experiment / implement.
Working on projects in the SAHARA desert, I would like to bring you some additional information:
- The presence of water in the desert: First of all, you should know that even in the warmest and arid parts of the Sahara (up to 55/60 ° C in shelters) we take into account a humidity between 50 and 60%. Put a hygrometer in your house and you will see that it is rare to go beyond in our latitudes and yet we grow a lot. So there is plenty of water in the desert.
- Water supply: it is possible to drill wells anywhere but it is expensive and difficult. We can also recover the ambient humidity. In fact, by putting a simple fine horizontal grid in suspension (2/3 m above the ground), we will be able to condense the water on these grids overnight due to the difference in T ° (we do not that reproduce the morning dew except that in general it is the plants that serve as condenser). If plants are placed underneath, they will have the water necessary for their development. FYI, INRA had done some experiments of this type in Djibouti a few years ago. I do not know if it is still current but the results were surprising from what I know.
- Nutrients: The sand is a good support for agriculture but of course you have to choose the plants because not everything can grow there.
Only point that can be blocking for me are the sandstorms. For your information, we dimension our installations for winds of more than 180km / h at 10m from the ground. Add the sand, I let you imagine the abrasive power that is deployed in a few minutes knowing that a storm lasts at least several hours.
It is blocking but not insurmountable, everything will be played in the choice of the implantation area (sheltered by a massif, an oasis ...) and the development of natural barrier (suitable trees / shrubs) . Then, the larger the area, the less effective the erosion because the sand will be retained by the plants and the natural barriers will protect from the wind.
so there is no more demonstration to do.
Master Masanobu Fukuoka suggests that we sow deserts with seeds embedded in clay to help these arid lands to green again. These clay pellets can be prepared by first mixing seeds of trees producing green manure (like acacia Morishima) which grow in areas where annual precipitation is less than 6cm, and those of clover, alfalfa, burdock and other types of green manure, along with grain and vegetable seeds. The seed mixture is first covered with a layer of soil, then clay to form pellets containing microbes. The dumplings thus formed could be scattered by hand through deserts and savannas. Once scattered, the seeds in the hardened clay pellets will not germinate until the rain has fallen and the conditions for germination have been met. Thus protected, the seeds will not be eaten by birds or mice. Any plant can be suitable, the main thing is to quickly cover deserts with a layer of green grass so that the rain returns. The problem is that you need a primer: This is where Gaia farming comes in.
