Men against the desert
For many generations, and on every continent, the yellow sand and the grey dust of desert areas spread like an ugly flood across the green grass upon which human life fundamentally subsists. Here and there, and now and then, the desert's advance was stopped, and sometimes pushed back, but, today, the arid and semiarid zones of the earth cover about one-third of the land surface of the globe.
Today, too, there are more men, women and children than have ever existed before. Now, more than ever, it is true that man cannot live on only two-thirds of the word. He needs it all. He does not accept and he need not accept the thought that his greater numbers mean greater misery. Man demands and has the means to get a better life.
For these reasons, the story of "The Desert Against Man" is being rewritten. Now it must be "Man Against the Desert". Most of the desert areas of the world were once fertile. Why do they no longer support life ? What is needed, in the way of water, fertilizers, farming methods, to reclaim them for human use?
Ritchie Calder, Science Editor of the British News Chronicle, working in collaboration with the Natural Sciences Department of UNESCO, has gone to the classic desert of all deserts, the Sahara, and is going on to other arid regions in the Middle East, for answers to these and other questions.
Mr. Calder is not only undertaking a great and vital task of exploration, but a big and unique reportorial and educational job. It is not enough for a few experts to know What can be done to make the deserts useful, for the men and women of many countries must also know-so that they will agree to support and help carry out the necessary measures. It is not enough for the older generation to know-for they cannot complete the task, and the"older generations"have had a mixed record anyway in the wise use of the land. The children must also know, for the biggest part of the job is for them.
Accordingly, Mr. Calder is writing a series of articles for his paper, which will be distributed to newspapers throughout the world by UNESCO.'"collaboration with the News Chronicle, the British illustrated weekly Picture Post is preparing text books and film strips for schools. Other publications in several countries will deal with various aspects of the trip. Results of Mr. Calder's studies will be widely used in schooi courses in England dealing with history, scripture, economics, geography and current affairs.
On these pages, the UNESCO Courier reprints the first three stories by Mr. Calder in his series,"Men Againstthe Desert".
