Skip to content

This site has limited support for your browser. We recommend switching to Edge, Chrome, Safari, or Firefox.

  • Plants
    • Annuals
    • Cacti & Succulents
    • Ferns
    • Grasses/Grass-Like
    • Perennials
    • Shrubs
    • Trees
    • Vines
  • Seeds
    • Annual Seeds
    • Bulbs
    • Cacti & Succulent Seeds
    • Grass/Grass-like Seeds
    • Perennial Seeds
    • Shrub Seeds
    • Tree Seeds
    • Vine Seeds
    • Seed Mixes
    • Seed Collections
  • Bookstore
    • New Arrivals & Releases
    • Garden
      • Botany
      • Garden Design
      • Horticulture
    • Field Guides
      • Fauna
      • Flora
      • Folding Guides
      • Fungi
      • Travel Guides
    • Ecology
      • Birds
      • Fire
      • Fungi
      • Geology
      • Insects
      • Plants
      • Reptiles & Amphibians
      • Water
      • Wildflowers
    • Literature
      • Cookbooks
      • Environmentalism
      • Ethnobothany
      • Fiction
      • Indigenous Authors
      • Non-Fiction
      • Poetry
    • Children & Young Adult
      • Activity Books
      • Board Books
      • Illustrated Books
      • Young Adult
    • Spanish Titles
    • Zines & Booklets
    • Sale
  • Gift Shop
    • New Arrivals
    • Accessories
    • Apparel
    • Garden
    • Headwear
    • Homewares
    • In the Gallery
    • Stationery
    • Youth
    • Sale
  • Membership
  • Donate
  • Gift Card
  • Plant Guides
  • Log in
  • Create account
  • Search

Open search bar

Browse categories

2024 Garden Tour Souvenir Collection
2025 Garden Tour Tickets & Souvenir Collection
Accessories
Activity Books
Annual Seeds
Annuals
Apparel
Apparel (old)
Art
Art & Posters
Artists of the Community
back in stock
Bandanas
Bats & Owls
Bird Books
Open cart
Plants
Annuals Cacti & Succulents Ferns Grasses/Grass-Like Perennials Shrubs Trees Vines
Seeds
Annual Seeds Bulbs Cacti & Succulent Seeds Grass/Grass-like Seeds Perennial Seeds Shrub Seeds Tree Seeds Vine Seeds Seed Mixes Seed Collections
Bookstore
New Arrivals & Releases
Garden Botany Garden Design Horticulture
Field Guides Fauna Flora Folding Guides Fungi Travel Guides
Ecology Birds Fire Fungi Geology Insects Plants Reptiles & Amphibians Water Wildflowers
Literature Cookbooks Environmentalism Ethnobothany Fiction Indigenous Authors Non-Fiction Poetry
Children & Young Adult Activity Books Board Books Illustrated Books Young Adult
Spanish Titles
Zines & Booklets
Sale
Gift Shop
New Arrivals Accessories Apparel Garden Headwear Homewares In the Gallery Stationery Youth Sale
Membership
Donate
Gift Card
Plant Guides
Open search bar

Browse categories

2024 Garden Tour Souvenir Collection
2025 Garden Tour Tickets & Souvenir Collection
Accessories
Activity Books
Annual Seeds
Annuals
Apparel
Apparel (old)
Art
Art & Posters
Artists of the Community
back in stock
Bandanas
Bats & Owls
Bird Books
My Account
Open cart
Open search bar

Browse categories

2024 Garden Tour Souvenir Collection
2025 Garden Tour Tickets & Souvenir Collection
Accessories
Activity Books
Annual Seeds
Annuals
Apparel
Apparel (old)
Art
Art & Posters
Artists of the Community
back in stock
Bandanas
Bats & Owls
Bird Books
Open cart
Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land: Lessons from Desert Farmers on Adapting to Climate Uncertainty
Open image lightbox

Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land: Lessons from Desert Farmers on Adapting to Climate Uncertainty

$34.95 USD Sale • Save
Item is in stockOnly 5 left in stockItem is out of stock Item is unavailable
Quantity
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10 +
 
 
This item is a recurring or deferred purchase. By continuing, I agree to the cancellation policy and authorize you to charge my payment method at the prices, frequency and dates listed on this page until my order is fulfilled or I cancel, if permitted.

Link copied
This book draws upon the knowledge of traditional farmers in the Gobi Desert, the Arabian Peninsula, the Sahara Desert, and Andalusia, as well as the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Painted Deserts of North America.

How to harvest water and nutrients, select drought-tolerant plants, and create natural diversity.

Because climatic uncertainty has now become “the new normal,” many farmers, gardeners and orchard-keepers in North America are desperately seeking ways to adapt their food production to become more resilient in the face of such “global weirding.” This book draws upon the wisdom and technical knowledge from desert farming traditions all around the world to offer time-tried strategies for:

  • Building greater moisture-holding capacity and nutrients in soils
  • Protecting fields from damaging winds, drought, and floods
  • Harvesting water from uplands to use in rain gardens and terraces filled with perennial crops
  • Delecting fruits, nuts, succulents, and herbaceous perennials that are best suited to warmer, drier climates

Gary Paul Nabhan is one of the world’s experts on the agricultural traditions of arid lands. For this book he has visited indigenous and traditional farmers in the Gobi Desert, the Arabian Peninsula, the Sahara Desert, and Andalusia, as well as the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Painted deserts of North America, to learn firsthand their techniques and designs aimed at reducing heat and drought stress on orchards, fields, and dooryard gardens. This practical book also includes colorful “parables from the field” that exemplify how desert farmers think about increasing the carrying capacity and resilience of the lands and waters they steward. It is replete with detailed descriptions and diagrams of how to implement these desert-adapted practices in your own backyard, orchard, or farm.

This unique book is useful not only for farmers and permaculturists in the arid reaches of the Southwest or other desert regions. Its techniques and prophetic vision for achieving food security in the face of climate change may well need to be implemented across most of North America over the next half-century, and are already applicable in most of the semiarid West, Great Plains, and the U.S. Southwest and adjacent regions of Mexico.

Details:
7 x 10 inches
272 pages
Full color illustrations throughout

We are committed to lowering our impact on the planet by using eco-friendly, plastic-free packaging materials. We also embrace the power of recycling and often give old packaging a second life; as a result, your items may arrive in a reused package.

This purchase builds habitat.
Proceeds from every purchase in the TPF store support our nonprofit programs such as Adult Education, California Native Plant Landscaper Certification, Native Plant Garden Tour, Seed Conservation and much more. Your support makes the work we do possible! 


Shipping & Returns

We do not ship plants. 

All orders are processed within 1 to 5 business days (excluding weekends and holidays) after receiving your order confirmation email. You will receive an email notification once your order has shipped.

Orders placed over the weekend will be reviewed on Tuesday of the following week. Please note we do not have staff onsite Sundays and Mondays. 

In-store pickup

Your order will be prepared and ready for pick up usually within 3 business days. You will receive a "Ready for Pickup" email when your order is ready. 

Our in-store pickup hours are 8:30am-4:00pm on Tuesday-Saturday. Please have your order confirmation email when you arrive. Orders not picked up within 7 days will be refunded minus a 25% restocking fee on plants. 

How do I check the status of my order once it has shipped?

When your order has shipped, you will receive an email notification with a USPS tracking number. Please allow 48 hours for the tracking information to become available.

If you haven’t received your order within 7 days after receiving your shipping confirmation email, please contact us at store@theodorepayne.org with your name and order number, and we will look into it for you. 

Local delivery We do not offer local delivery.

International Shipping We do not offer international shipping.

Shipping to P.O. boxes USPS orders can be shipped to P.O. boxes. 

Returns & Exchanges

We accept returns and exchanges within 14 days after receipt for eligible items which are like-new and in their original condition, unused, unwashed, and undamaged. Original shipping fees are non-refundable. We are not responsible for any lost or stolen packages.

If your order is damaged or defective upon arrival, please email store@theodorepayne.org as soon as possible to organize a replacement. We address these on a case-by-case basis but will try our best to work towards a satisfactory solution.

Exclusions: All sales are final and no returns or exchanges will be accepted on plants, seeds, bulbs, gift cards, sale items, food, etc. If you're unsure, please check the product page to verify if the item is returnable.


New Book Arrivals & Releases

Shop Now

Home & Garden

Shop Now

Seeds

Theodore Payne Foundation kindly asks for your help in protecting the delicate balance of our native ecosystems by not sowing seeds in nature preserves, open spaces, wilderness, or post-burn areas. Our seed offerings are intended to be sown in cultivated and garden settings.
Shop Now

Plants

Shop Now

Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants

10459 Tuxford Street
Sun Valley, California 91352
818-768-1802

Hours: Tuesday – Saturday
8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Closed Sunday & Monday
Closed Christmas Eve & New Year’s Eve

Newsletter

Stay up to date with the new collections, products and exclusive offers.

Email is invalid or already taken.

  • Accessibility
  • Contact Information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Shipping & Returns
  • Refund Policy
© 2025, Theodore Payne Foundation. Powered by Shopify.
  • American Express
  • Apple Pay
  • Diners Club
  • Discover
  • Google Pay
  • Mastercard
  • PayPal
  • Shop Pay
  • Visa
Close
Close