Agriculture in Charnea

Agriculture in Charnea faces significant challenges due to the harsh conditions of the Ninva desert and the surrounding regions. The foremost limitation of the agricultural practices of the desert peoples is the scarcity of water which limits the areas that can be made arable to scattered patches where natural oases are found or artificial irrigation projects can be established, as well as some areas in far eastern Charnea and the Agala highlands where naturally occurring rivers and lakes can be exploited for irrigation. Another limitation is the poor soil quality common to most regions of the desert. The sandy soils across Charnea generally lack organic matter and nitrogen, while phosphorous content may be abundant in some areas and sparse in others. Thirdly, the strong winds and sandstorms typical of the Charnean environment threaten cultivated areas with damage to plants and structures or may even cause sand dunes to shift and overrun entire zones of cultivated land. Due to these and other conditions inhibiting agricultural practices, only 5 - 10% of the land area of Charnea is considered suitable for agriculture. However, many of the problems and challenges of agriculture in the harsh desert climate of Charnea can be overcome through engineering and agronomic techniques wherever water can be made available for irrigation.

Crops

The selection of productive plant species suitable for the environmental conditions and culture methods of Charnean agriculture are somewhat limited. In particular, crops preferred by Charnean agriculturalists tend to be able to survive with relatively small volumes of water and overcome the often poor nutritional qualities of the soil.

Oak

The Kermes oak is an especially hardy variety of oak tree well suited to the desert environment thanks to its resistance to drought and poor soil. It grows as a small shrub that may occasionally reach the height of a small tree, supporting the grazing of animals and frequently seeded in Charnean swale cultures primarily for this purpose. The acorns of kermes oak are edible and often collected by the nomadic peoples of the Ninva for sustenance, although they are relatively unpopular due to their bitter taste. This variety of desert oak sustains kermes scale insects, which can be collected and used to make crimson dye.

Mastic

The Mastic tree is cultivated for its resin, which is aromatic and has antimicrobial and antifungal properties. The resin is used to produce gum and oils for culinary and medicinal purposes. While the gum may be used to flavor various drinks and dishes, it can also be turned into a chewing gum that is popular among the Tenerian nomads.

Palms

Date palms are a very popular crop grown throughout Charnea and prized for its sweet fruits, being one of the most common trees and by far the most common palm variety to be cultivated in Charnea. Dates are widely eaten as a desert and as a sweetening element to a variety of dishes, while ground date seeds can be used as animal feed. The leaves and fibers of date palms are also utilized in traditional architecture as a roofing material and to construct large wind catchers, while the immature leaves may be eaten as a vegetable and the fibrous leaf sheaths can be used to make ropes and twine.

Hemp

Cultivation of hemp for food, textiles and for recreational substances is an ancient practice in Charnea. In particular, hemp products benefit from the plant's extremely fast rate of growth and can be produced in large quantities with only moderate investment of water and land area. Hemp paper is very common in Charnea as a more traditional form of paper for writing and other purposes, although it is less used than common wood pulp paper in the modern day. Hemp fiber is used for insulation and for the manufacture of ropes, clothing and textiles, while hemp seeds are edible and can be made into a slurry for baking or processed into an edible oil. The cannabis flowers are used for the production of psychoactive substances, particularly hashish which is popular in Charnean culture.

Flax

Flax is one of the oldest and most important crops in traditional Charnean agriculture because of the multiplicity of its products. It can be consumed as with other cereal grains, by grinding into flax seed meal that can be used to make bread. Ground flax carries the risk of oxidizing and becoming rancid within a week of being ground, and so requires particular care and immediate storage in sealed containers in order to remain suitable for use for a period of several months. Linseed oil produced from flax is an edible oil providing important nutrients, which can be used in conjunction with the as high grade fodder for animals. The oil is also useful for industrial purposes as a chemical agent in paint and wood finishes as well as the production of Linoleum. Flax fibers are used to manufacture linen, a textile prized in Charnea for its strength and fast-drying qualities. Linen has been produced in the region of east Charnea for thousands of years, being the primary type of textile used in the region. As with hemp, flax fibers can also be used to produce rope, canvas and even paper. Flax is preferred to cotton as a textile crop due to its lower water use, although its requirement of higher levels organic matter in its soils requires significant use of organic fertilizer and mulch to improve yields.

Methods of Culture

Swales

One of the oldest methods of agriculture in the Ninva is what is known as swale culturing, utilizing a swale typically in the form of a long depression backed by a berm running perpendicular to a slope where water may flow on a seasonal basis to slow and disperse the flow. This structure captures a portion of the runoff from sudden rains and flash floods that occur in some parts of Charnea, enabling the water to infiltrate into the area surrounding the swale structure, allowing for certain species of trees and shrubs to establish themselves in the otherwise arid conditions. The practice of swale cropping is suggested to have been established in prehistory by the ancestors of the modern day Amaziɣ peoples, and has been practices continuously by the nomadic Tenerian culture native to Charnea. The runoff capture structures are relatively simple to construct, generally requiring only the excavation of a long ditch across the face of a hill or other slope, utilizing the displaced material from the excavation to form a berm down-slope from the ditch. Additionally, the growth of shrubs and trees in the resulting swale system requires very little management to sustain, making it suitable for use by nomadic tribes that may periodically visit the swale culture to harvest foodstuffs, wood and other products as well as preform maintenance on the swale structure. Swale cultures are often not recognized as zones of cultivation by outside observers as they can often appear to be natural features of the landscape where native wild plants are growing. Due to the nature of the culture, water is often not fully accessible at the surface layers of soil and is only refreshed intermittently or seasonally making it difficult for many traditional crops to grow in the swale cultures. Trees such as olives, acacia kermes oak and mastic trees as well as certain species of mesquite introduced in modern times may be grown using the swale culture method.