Sustainable future and food production in the desert biome
what foods are found in the desert?
Deserts are not a major food producer but food can still be found in them if the situation asks for it. The main edibles in the desert are succulents and legumes. Other foods include;
Abal: these have fresh, edible flowers during spring.
Acacia: the leaves, flowers and pods are edible.
Date palm: edible fresh but is bitter if eaten before ripe.
Desert amaranah: all is edible, however spines must be removes before consumption.
Desert raisin: this can be eaten raw when green-white to yellow-brown.
Reptiles and various types of cacti can also be found. Reptiles, which are a good source of protein, also carry salmonella. This means they must be cooked thoroughly, to avoid catching the disease.
Abal: these have fresh, edible flowers during spring.
Acacia: the leaves, flowers and pods are edible.
Date palm: edible fresh but is bitter if eaten before ripe.
Desert amaranah: all is edible, however spines must be removes before consumption.
Desert raisin: this can be eaten raw when green-white to yellow-brown.
Reptiles and various types of cacti can also be found. Reptiles, which are a good source of protein, also carry salmonella. This means they must be cooked thoroughly, to avoid catching the disease.
How has this biome been changed for food production?
Deserts tend to have large resources of water underneath them. An example of this is the desert in Jordan called the 'Wadi Rum desert.' The aquifer supplies most of the water to the country, pumping at a furious pace. Water sources in such dry countries are an essential part of the ecosystem. Without them, life in deserts would be even more of a struggle than it is now. Even though we have access to these large and plentiful aquifers, we must make sure not to over exploit them, or it will be like they never existed. There is not much else humanity can do to change deserts, as they are an important ecological area that is particularly reactive in response to human interaction. As you can see in the images below, many of the major deserts have a moderate to very high amount of water lying up to 1700 feet below them.
What are its current threats?
Climate change is a problem that is affecting the whole world. Deserts have sensitive ecosystems, which could be disrupted by the rise in CO2. CO2 levels are expected to double by 2050. Experts fear that the change will help invasive plants, that cause fires, to grow. Global-warming researchers predict that over time the desert ecosystem will transform. After an experiment performed by a team of ecologists at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, it is proved that invasive species such as cheatgrass doubled their density. All plants that were grown in the CO2 plots grew bigger and produced more seeds than those in the normal, controlled environments. Something needs to be done about the hazard that global warming is presenting. The world's countries need to work together to find a sustainable solution for such a drastic event.
What can be done to ensure a sustainable future for this biome?
Many countries with deserts are now participating in something called the 'Sahara Forest Project.' This project is aimed to grow food in desert in a sustainable way and to make the environment better, not worse. The founders also want to demonstrate the potential for restorative practices, instead of traditional extractive use of resources. The best location for SFP facilities are low lying and sunny areas that normally receive little agricultural activity or natural vegetation. This is especially suited to desert areas because it is 'designed to utilise what we have enough of to produce what we need more of, using deserts, saltwater and CO2 to produce food, water and energy. In the long run, this could change how we produce our food. However, if more countries were taking part in programs like these it would be even more sustainable. Featured below is the layout of the Jordan Test and Demonstration centre.
What else can be done to sustain the desert
Leaders all around the world need to realise the problems that are threatening not only deserts, but the rest of the world as well. Global warming and climate change will both have disastrous effects on the world, changing the ecosystems - and not for the better. The overwhelming release of fossil fuels all around the world is not helping the problem that we face. Countries that have recently industrialised are now using less traditional energy sources (wood, dung and charcoal) and switching to fossil fuels. What the world needs is a sustainable, reliable and accessible source of energy that everyone can enjoy, including the earth.