Saline Agriculture: Salt-Tolerant Plants for Developing Countries (1990)

Summary: Populations in developing countries are growing so quickly that the land and water are unable to sustain them. Salt-tolerant plants, therefore, may provide a sensible alternative for many developing countries. In some cases, salinized farmland can be used without costly remedial measures, and successful rehabilitation of degraded land is usually preferable, in terms of resource conservation, to opening new land. This report covers some of the experiences and opportunities in the agricultural use of saline land and water. The purpose of this report is to create grater awareness of salt-tolerant plants—their current and potential uses, and the special needs they may fill in developing countries—on the part of developing country scientists, planners, and administrators, and their counterparts in technical assistance agencies.