AHC: Prevent the Dust Bowl
- Thread starter Will Kürlich Kerl
- Start date
Nothing can really done about the drought. On the human side though, have dryland farming techniques put into widespread use to prevent wind erosion. Prior to the 1930s, farmers had been deep plowing the topsoil which displaced the grasses that kept topsoil trapped. Plus farmers began cultivating areas that got no more than 10 inches of rainfall a year.
marathag
Banned
Without WWI, a lot of marginal land won't be put into production, this helps some, as would have not having the Homestead Act of 1909, that enlarged the size and for marginal lands.
But droughts are cyclical, the last minor one was in 1890. People were fooled by above average rainfail for two generations after that.
But droughts are cyclical, the last minor one was in 1890. People were fooled by above average rainfail for two generations after that.
Driftless
Donor
Some crop rotation might have helped too. Replenish nutrients in the soil, plus hold the soil in place.
Crops For Drylands focuses more on zones between the Tropics, but the priniciples apply
The flip side is that in order for revised farming techniques to work: Consumers need to want what you grow and being willing to pay a sustainable price for those commodities.
Through the whole 20s? I recall that countries like Australia, Canada, US etc experienced super-normal returns from farming from about 1915-mid/late 20s as a result of European agriculture having declined considerably in that period. When European farming came back online to 1913 levels in 1924-25, this touched off a decline in prices that may have contributed to depression.
So maybe avoid WWI and there won't be such a rapid expansion of farming in those marginal areas? I can't say if that's what occurred in the US since I'm not an expert on the country, but in Australia this is precisely what happened and with devastating consequences for the farmers involved when the ass fell out of the rural commodities market.