Struggle Against Desertification

5- When sandy land is fertile, it prevents the movement of dunes and it is not eroded by winds. At the same time it conserves humidity at the depth of around 20 cm, in addition to that, there is an increase of the flow of valley waters carrying sediments, called , the ‘Ennouguel’ (deposit) or ‘Miloussi’ (sludge) and what they bring along of plant and tree seeds which we aforementioned.

• Furthermore there is one way of planting and growing ‘Garden lawn’ or couch grass as it grows by salty water. When lawn is harvested, its wildfire and chaff stay on site to fertilize the land and protect the roots of the couch grass against the sun heat. It constitutes a layer which prevents the movement of sands and serves as pasture, and whose length may reach around to 2 m (FIG. 5).
• There also another kind of cane cob girder, which resembles ‘wind Bamboo’ of a specific kind which is planted in the form of a lm or more thick fence. It is irrigated by a small rubber hosepipe not wasting much water and serving as a fence. It serves as a barrier against sands and considered as one of the best cob girders ever available and may be around 6 meters-high, well-knit and cannot be permeated by sands. This fence can be used for pasture and need not be reconstructed or renovated. In addition, it can be used in the construction of green houses through the fabric of which can infiltrate breeze and sun beams. It is held together by wires in a steady way from sides, so that it would not be destroyed by winds. It is backed up by wooden posts or other, and around which grow weeds and adds to it. It is possible to back it by a network or threads of metal’fer’ (FIG. 6).
• It can also be supported and consolidated nets;
• other trees, like ‘Acacia tree which used to pasturing to animals (FIG. 7) and the palm trees which will irrigated drop-by drop and we must forbid the extract of drinker ‘Elagmi’ when the palm tree dies automatically. And the’ Edharou’ tree which gives fruit called ‘Gadhoum’ (FIG. 8). The trunks of these trees are cut at the height of 1 to 2 m in barren areas so that they can spread their branches on the surface of earth. As for the olive trees, they are planted at an interval of 4 m or less, one away from other, differently from the method adopted in southern prefectures;
• otherwise their lands would be vulnerable to blowing winds when ploughed, and their irrigation would be difficult. Within them it is possible to plant vegetables and fruit such as pomegranates. However, olive trees are planted at the top of mountains with basins dug around their trunks instead of ploughing them. Indeed, I observed in Spain the planting of olive trees at the top and foothills of the mountains (FIG. 9).
• Can also be cited here the Blackberry Bush ‘Eulig’ where densely grows and intermingles to confine sand (FIG. 10).

6- Channeling the rain waters of the north areas to the south is easy, because of the higher altitude of north hills and mountains above the sea level—compared to the desert southern areas—such as Chaanbi Mountain, which is the highest mountain in Tunisia.

• This can be done on the basis of satellite blue prints and maps for geographic data, and science earth. They can be channeled through lowland reliefs among mountains, and when necessary, by digging underground tunnels for the passage of water, such with aqueduct dug by the Chinese under Hamman—lif Mountain Tunisia (FIG. 11). This can be achieved by making use of industrial gadgets such as ground satellites, regionally in a comprehensive plan because of the geographic proximity, and internationally. It can also be realized by making use of the technological revolution and remote detection to observe the desertification phenomenon, and weather forecast. This can be managed by technical experts in order to dodge drought and promote land fertility. This can be done thanks to geology, where science is the gate for desired change. This invention, in its beginning, is meant to employ around 100 thousand persons, and at its perigee 200 thousands or more of workforce, which may be not available. It also intends to employ administrators, technicians, service providers, means of transport, and works with sweeping draggers and bulldozers to spread sand dunes in the form of squares of around one-hectare size or more.
• This would allow valley rain waters to flow and irrigate them one after another, in order to be immediately planted as it is with rice plantation in swamps. As for elevated areas, they can be surrounded by basins in order to avoid erosion, by planting it with the aforementioned trees, plants, grass, and another.

7- It is worth noting that when necessary, before distributing flowing valley waters, it is possible to dig out straight rectangular trenches of 80-centimeter depth or more within the sand areas, and mix them with fertilized earth of 20 cm-thick stratum or more, as principle fertilizer for growing plants. Besides the land whose soil is eroded by wind and rains and thus become a single rocky plaque, on the solution is planting trees in row sand the ease of irrigating it drop-by drop and creating horizontal basin for the preservation of rains water (FIG. 12).

• This earth can be brought by heavy trucks, and if necessary by laying railways for bringing this earth by trains. These trains may be used as modem means of transport for the would-be local dwellers, as well as for future tourism. They will interconnect the desert areas and towns in the east, west, north, and south and other areas which had been difficult for us to reach before. In the ditches, we should plant fencing trees in the form of horticulture of the wind-like ‘Bomboo ‘plant, supported by the ‘Tamarisk tree’ ‘Attarfa’ that can be irrigated by such pipeline type aforementioned, through dripping irrigation.
• We also can grow various plantations which have been proved to survive in arid areas like ‘Cactus’ called ‘prickly pears’ which is useful food for humans and animals, and from which we can extract “Errob” juice and export it (FIG. 13).
• we can also plant the ‘kabbar’ growing in rocky arid areas, useful for food and exporting (FIG. 14) and ‘Fig’ trees that can be irrigated by the pipeline aforementioned, which grew without water in a wall out (FIG. 15). In order to achieve the desired objective it is necessary to wage a fierce unabated war against desertification, devoting all resource of humans, funds, all material capacities, international aids, and international organizations in order to defeat this gigantic mighty monster, i.e. desertification We also have not to abandon the barren areas like Gabes, Mednine, Tatouine, and other, for the winds to conquer and annihilate life there. We rather have to initiate a progressive forestation program, using olive trees in, the form and size aforementioned, and dripping irrigation, by using the valley and dam waters which are wastefully and carelessly flowing into sea. It is also necessary that plantations be so close to one another that their roots feed from each other, and dodge the steaming-hot sun shine and eroding winds. We also have to grow origin desert plantations which have been proved by experiment to have the capacity of standing dryness and climate head. They also constitute a source of meat and job creation for the local dwellers of these areas.