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Zai Pits (West Sahel) And Dew Collectors (Dune)
Fascinating effort by the people of West Sahel to reclaim their land.
""Each bush, each weed you see out there in the erg," she said, "how do you suppose it lives when we leave it? Each is planted most tenderly in its own little pit. The pits are filled with smooth ovals of chromoplastic. Light turns them white... But when Old Father Sun departs,… https://t.co/siCYokIO10
— Bill Christensen (@Technovelgy) August 28, 2023
In the West Sahel, farmers recover degraded land and prevent desertification by digging half-moon holes. Also called “zai pits”, the ditches capture scarce rainwater and direct it toward growing plants, helping reforest the edges of the southern Sahara.
Dew collectors were described by science fiction writer Frank Herbert in his 1965 novel Dune. How else could a plant live in the desert?
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 8/15/2023)
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