Affordable Methods and Techniques to Optimize Farming Productivity in a Context of Climate Change in Arid Areas

Introduction

The decrease in precipitation and the increase in temperatures and extreme weather events are affecting food security (Ayinu et al., 2022), due to declining of crop productivity and the emergence of plants and farm animal diseases. The crops and farm animals are exposed to the risks of water scarcity (Leal Filho et al., 2022), soil deterioration and moisture reduction, increased water and soil salinity, increased energy costs, and demand for products. The control of the parameters of these services and resources may help increase productivity, which provides more food for more people even if in vulnerable areas such as arid environments. In arid areas, sustainable agricultural development is essential, affected by water resources (Zhou et al., 2021). In addition to water, soil quality has always played an important role in food security and economic stability in these harsh environments. Unfortunately, climate change and human pressure is affecting these fragile resources. They are threatened by several phenomena such as salinity and desertification. Moumane et al. (2022) found a significant advancement in desertification from 1991 to 2021 and observed a considerable reduction of cultivated lands (−29.6%) in the pre-Sahara of Morocco. Otherwise, according to the last IPCC special report on “climate change, desertification, land degradation…”, desertification will reduce the provision of ecosystem services including losses in biodiversity in the crop, and livestock productivity in drylands (Mirzabaev et al., 2019). In cultivated land, for example, soil erosion and degradation cause a loss of 5 to 7 Mha every year (Sivanappan, 1995). Water resources are also threatened in these areas. Dryland zones have serious problems meeting demands due to the population, infrastructure growth, and climate change (Koch & Missimer, 2016). Climate change (Lee et al., 2021), soil salinity (Yin et al., 2021), groundwater reduction and salinity (Moumane et al. 2021), water overuse, droughts, land degradation and desertification (Karmaoui et al., 2022; Lee et al., 2021) are the main causes of degradation in arid ecosystems and agro-ecosystems. These risks push for better management of agricultural systems and natural resources using sustainable solutions. Food security in arid regions depends on the resilience of agricultural systems to the problems of climate change. Sustainable management of the water, soil, and biodiversity resources can provide key services and meet the development needs in these vulnerable regions. Alternative techniques that have proven to be effective in several areas can be used to increase productivity, diversify crops, and resist insect pests in desert areas. Optimizing the productivity of farms in the context of climate change is a significant step toward meeting the needs of a growing global population. The techniques are numerous and depend on the type of ecosystem services such as water, soil, or biodiversity, and the use of renewable energies. These techniques support the efficient use of vulnerable resources and assure the sustainability of the farms. The purpose of the current chapter is to present an inventory of simple and affordable methods, techniques, and practices to optimize farming productivity in the context of climate change. The chapter was organized into two axes: Axis 1 assists in identifying examples of some recent techniques and practices used in the context of the land, water, and energy nexus while the second axis deals with traditional practices and equipment used in the arid areas.