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The time is 33 B.C., and the place is China. The Western Han emperor, in order to secure a treaty with the Huns, sent one of his many wives, a beauty named Wang Chao-chun (also known as Ming Fei), to the Hun leader, Hu Han-yeh (r. 49-33 B.C.).

Read more of the article entitled 'The image of the desert in Chinese literature: The legend of Wang Chao-chan'

Land degradation (including desertification in drylands) is estimated to affect at least one-third of the 328 mha geographical area in India.

Read more of the article entitled 'Desertification and its control in India'

This study focuses on understanding the oasis desertification process over the last 2000 years, using multi-methods such as historical document, archaeology, remote sensing and GIS. The result shows that the human activities in Minqin Basin can be dated back to the Shajing Culture, a Neolithic culture at around 2600 years ago.

Read more of the article entitled 'Development of dryland China from historical view'

In the arid and semi-arid regions, particularly on the degraded lands and lands affected by moving sands, Jatropha curcas L. has proved to be a promising oil-bearing tree. The seeds of this Euphorbiaceae tree contain more than 30 % oil, which can be used for making bio-diesel.

Read more of the article entitled 'Jatropha curcas L., an excellent source of renewable energy in the dry areas'

The use of climatic data could help in providing tools for proper pest management through the possibility of forecasting the incidence of pests and diseases, and hence reduce the risk in plant production and help to minimize the amounts of chemicals used to control pests.

Read more of the article entitled 'The use of spatial data for integrated agricultural planning and management'