The Future of Desert Agriculture
Spineless Opuntia ficus-indica Cacti
A Sustainable Solution to the Agriculture Crisis
in the American Southwest
Combining Productivity & Drought Tolerance
Succulent plant species like Opuntia (a.k.a. Nopal, or Prickly Pear) are naturally adapted to arid conditions, and ideal for responding to global environmental changes.
Opuntia provides a climate smart alternative to water intensive crops, allowing productivity to remain consistent under extreme heat events.
Diversifying our agricultural systems to include water efficient multi purpose crops provides financial stability and opportunity for downstream industries.
Low input and low management food and fodder crops can help to address economic disparities and financial limitations in arid regions.
High yield and water efficient CAM (Crassulean Acid Metabolism photosynthetic pathway) plants don’t compete with essential food crops requiring fertile land.
Putting Carbon Back into the Ground
Our agriculture is more than capable of turning marginal desert land into a long-term carbon sink and a soil restoration platform.
Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) is among the most important means of reducing emissions and increasing climate resilience.
Drylands with high sun exposure are veritable hotspots for carbon sequestration via plant growth on at risk marginalized lands. (Carvajal et al., 2025)
Arid marginal lands are all too often underutilized in our advancement of carbon sequestration efforts, and carbon neutral industries.
Decoupling increased economic growth and increased emissions is possible in our arid regions by prioritizing carbon negative agriculture and restoration strategies compatible with our planet’s ecological needs.
Our Mission: to advance an agricultural model more suitable to desert ecosystems, with cacti at the center.
Challenges Facing the American Southwest
Severe Water Scarcity
Declining Colorado River allocations and shrinking aquifers threaten the long-term viability of traditional crops in the American Southwest.
Longer, more severe droughts and high heat events are projected in arid regions under forecasted climate models.
Overuse of groundwater to support water intensive crops is outpacing the capacity of such underground reservoirs to recharge.
Extreme Heat Trends
2-7°F temperature increases projected in arid regions by mid century.
Current cash crops such as alfalfa and corn are not adapted to survive such conditions.
Increased evaporation trends making traditional irrigation systems unsustainable.
The rapid desertification and expansion of arid regions will inevitably harm the production of traditional bioenergy crops.
Economic Pressure
Heightened irrigation costs and declining soil fertility limit profitability and potential for diversification.
Crops without a wide range of uses make revenue streams risky and unsustainable.
Farmers forced to sell water rights and sacrifice multigenerational industries put longstanding agricultural communities and economies at risk of collapse.
“Increased food, feed, and biofuel demands of the future will require a greater reliance upon crop production systems in arid and semi-arid regions around the world. Diminishing freshwater resources and hotter and drier climatic conditions will also necessitate the use of highly drought tolerant and water-use efficient crops” (Neupane et al, 2021)