Slap a Tree Canopy Over that Farm

    Put canopies over our farms. No, I don't mean large urethane canopies; I mean tree canopies. Plant trees right out in the fields to protect the plants below. Seventy percent of the world's water is used for agriculture. Globally, enough water is used to cover the entire United States under two feet of water. Put some shade on the land and both the crops and the livestock will need less water. 

  The roots for crops are shorter than those of trees. So, as the water from irrigation sinks deeper, it drops below the root system of the crops. Trees, on the other hand, have deep roots and can utilize the water that escapes beyond the reach of the crops.

   Oh, I would guess most agriculture land cannot be covered with a blanket of trees. To begin with, the equipment used on farms would bang on the trees. And, I'm sure there would be other problems.

   But, I'm not talking of all situations. I'm just suggesting there occasionally might be instances where tree canopies would be beneficial. There might be occasions where a farmer looks at all his fields and decides that one of them might work.

   And, there are parts of the world where water is a precious commodity, and should be conserved. The cattle out grazing in the field would be kept cooler. The crops that do not need too much sun -- leafy vegetables and such -- could be planted in areas that are moderately shaded during part of the day or receive filtered sunlight all day. In fact, shielding these crops as the season heats up helps them last longer. 

  Plus, such practice would help us utilize our land better. Agriculture -- as necessary as it is -- does have its consequences as forests are knocked down to make room for farming and ranching. We need to go no further than the Amazon Rainforest to know this. So, if you double use your land by planting peaches above and strawberries below, you help protect the world from climate change. Strawberries require at least eight hours of sun, but there are strawberry varieties that can grow in shade.

  Grain? In contrast to what you might expect, grain yield can actually increase in shade.

  Alfalfa uses a lot of water, but the amount needed is governed by temperature, wind, humidity, and how intense the sunlight is. There might be some situations where Alfalfa could be grown in mildly shaded fields.

  No, shading agriculture land probably isn't practical in most cases, but it probably would work in some. 

(Index -- Climate change info)