Comment: 23:44 - 24:47 (01:03)
Source: Annenberg/CPB Resources - Earth Revealed - 22. Wind, Dust and Deserts
Keywords: "Art Montana", desertification, "water conservation", groundwater, agriculture, deforesting, vegetation, subtropic, wind, topsoil, tree, Africa, pollution
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Our transcription: There are a number of techniques that are being employed to prevent desertification of water conservation techniques.
Yet one of the primary causes of desertification is the depletion of groundwater reserves and also intelligent farming techniques.
For example, if you move into an area deforest it, remove the vegetation, and then plow it, particular in an area like the subtropics where you have the prevailing winds, you can lose your topsoil.
So intelligent farming techniques, for example, those that don't remove all of the trees, those that don't necessarily plow the ground or plow it deeply are being tested in Africa, for example, and have been quite successful.
The yield the first several years of farming is less but on the long run you don't destroy the soil; you don't remove the topsoil; you don't pollute the streams from pesticides and fertilizers, so there is hope.
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Geology School Keywords
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