Pillar of Sand: Can the Irrigation Miracle Last? (Environmental Alert Series)
By Sandra Postel.
Description
The overriding lesson from history is that most irrigation-based civilizations fail. As we enter the third millennium the question arises: Will ours be any different? For 6,000 years, irrigation has ranked among the most powerful tools of human advancement. The story of settled agriculture, the growth of cities, and the rise of early empires is, to no small degree, a story of controlling water to make the land more prosperous and habitable. Pillar of Sand examines the history, challenges, and pitfalls of irrigated agriculture ― from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to twentieth-century India a...
ISBN(s)
0393319377, 9780393319378
