The Plight and Promise of Arid Land Agriculture

Columbia University Press, 1992. Book. Very Good. Hardcover. First Edition. Moderate shelf wear to dust jacket.. Previous store stamp on bottom edge of closed pgs. A nice, sturdy, unmarked copy. The world's arid and semiarid lands are plagued with serious environmental problems and are deteriorating in their ability to sustain conventional crops. These problems have been long recognized by Drs. C. Wiley Hinman and Jack W. Hinman, experts on the subjects of arid lands and arid-land plant species. In their book the authors discuss the plight of these lands and, more importantly, practical solutions to reverse the present trend. Before, and certainly since, the recent African famines, much publicity in the popular media and at worldwide scientific conferences has been devoted to land degradation and the resultant problem of properly feeding people in the arid lands of the world. The Plight and Promise of Arid Land Agriculture describes the various causes of the problems and the current status of these areas. What's more, the book offers sorely needed guidance and innovative solutions for improved land and water usage and the use of alternative new crops for food, chemicals, and energy production. From a global perspective, the practical scientific and political recommendations suggest unique and attainable solutions not only to avert future tragedies, but to provide the economic boost of industrial raw materials production for many oppressed third world nations trying to enter the modern world. Anyone interested in understanding and altering the future course of the environment and the economy in arid regions of our planet will learn from and find fascinating this unique, concise, jargon-free book..