Expert Insights: Ancient techniques may help mitigate effects of Prairie drought

A refurbished Nabataean cistern at the site of Humayma, Jordan. Photo by Craig Harvey By Craig A. Harvey, Special to Western News October 13, 2021 This year witnessed one of the hottest and driest summers in recent history for Western Canada and the American Southwest. The resulting droughts adversely affected food supply and helped send meat prices rising three times faster than inflation. Despite the severity of these droughts, the worst may be yet to come. Extreme weather events are expected to become increasingly severe and frequent in the Prairies , with longer dry periods coupled with the risk of floods from intense rainstorms. While Canada benefits from a world-class agricultural technology industry, lessons can also be drawn from low-tech solutions developed by ancient societies that flourished in arid climates. One such society was the Nabataean culture , which thrived in the hyper-arid deserts of Jordan, northern Saudi Arabia and southern Israel 2,000 years ago.