Despite its relative proximity to the Pacific Ocean, South America’s Atacama Desert is so arid that scientists use it to simulate conditions on Mars. Yet a thousand years ago, farmers grew crops there and raised thriving communities.
“People created the most amazing irrigation and terrace systems to manage the precious water that they had,” says Jonathan Sandor, who studies agriculture and ancient civilizations at Iowa State University. “They developed crops that were adapted to these places. It’s a real testament to people and how they’ve developed incredible knowledge over long periods of time.”
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