Saudi Arabia is drilling for a resource possibly more precious than oil by tapping hidden reserves of water in the Syrian Desert.

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

In northern Saudi Arabia, near Jordan, oil resources are sparse and so is surface water.  Water might just be the more important liquid natural resource, especially for sustaining a population.  There are underground water reserves that are stored in aquifers, layers of rock that hold water.  The water that collects in aquifers may take many years to replenish so this practice is sometimes referred to as water mining.  

Question to ponder: If Saudi Arabia is rich enough to buy their own food and they are at a competitive disadvantage for food production, why would they invest so much money on farming marginal lands? 

Tags: food, agriculture, water, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, unit 5 agriculture.

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