The Oasis Loop: Vernacular Agricultural Landscapes in Arid Conditions

The commonplace image of the oasis is of a natural occurrence emerging from the desert sands. However, most oases are agricultural landscapes, that is, environments built to produce food for human consumption. Agriculture often constitutes a driving force in land degradation, but in some of the most arid regions of the world, traditional agricultural practices sometimes lead to the rise and long-term establishment of vegetation at levels of abundance and intricacy that would otherwise not be possible. In this article, I investigate some of these vernacular oases at the intersection of their geomorphological and technological causes. On the one hand, there are tectonic and climatic processes that give shape to the geomorphological structure of these arid lands. On the other, there are myriad infrastructural and agronomic techniques – many of which can be traced a thousand years back through Islamic traditions of agroecology – aimed at increasing vegetation cover through water harvesting and topsoil conservation. Because of their fragility, these landscapes have historically been associated with the decline of ecosystems, economies, and cultures. In the current context of climate change and environmental degradation, the possibilities and limitations of these arid landscapes offer great insights into the future of the built environment.