The Quail Springs property can be without rain for several months at a time, and when the rain does come, it comes all at once. This water can just fly through the property, taking lots of soil with it, and be gone before it’s had a chance to soak in. These gabions are built with large rocks, allowing water to filter through (you can see an example of one of these here, a picture from a previous post). Several of these placed in the right locations slow the water so it has a chance to soak in. Additionally, if some of the gabions have swales running off from them, then the gabions can be used to direct a portion of the larger water flows out onto the land, where it can soak in and start to make the area productive, and also help to raise the water table below the property.

These earthworks are the first step. Once you have water in the soil you can begin to raise the organic matter content of the soil by growing appropriate plant species and with the addition of compost. Humus can hold up to 90% of its own weight in water, making a huge difference to the otherwise sandy soil, and the shade of crops and trees can dramatically reduce the amount of water lost through evaporation.

Of course, to green an entire region would take an epiphany amongst a great many property owners. Such a collaborative effort is perhaps not realistic – although as the lands further deteriorate, and other factors like peak oil and climate change exacerbate the already difficult enconomic situation, you never know what may happen in the future…