Saline agriculture

The impact of salinization on agriculture is profound and poses serious challenges to food production and security. As salinity levels rise, soils lose their fertility, leading to stunted crop growth, reduced yields, and even the loss of arable land. In addition these direct impacts on agriculture, salinization also degrades water quality, disrupts ecosystems, and contributes to desertification and biodiversity loss, compounding the challenges of sustaining agricultural production in affected areas.

Saline agriculture, or salt-tolerant farming, represents a promising strategy to harness the productive potential of saline environments. Approaches include the cultivation of salt-tolerant crops, soil management techniques, and irrigation management methods. Incorporation of such measures can, in addition to mitigating the adverse effects of salinization, also reduce reliance on freshwater resources and enhance the resilience of agricultural landscapes. Saline agriculture may, therefore, be a viable pathway to enhance food security at a local, regional or even global scale.