Originally Posted by pondering_it_all
Interesting TED talk about turning desert sand into productive farmland:

TED Talk

Researchers from Norway figured out how to make nano-particle clay they could dissolve in water and just dump on sand. It penetrates deeply, so then you can add fertilizer and seed. Their process takes 7 hours from sand to a planted wheat field! The fungal mat you need for most plant growth thrives in this stuff.
I am stoked. Add this to Loggy's biochar process, and we have a sustainability system. (Just add sun.)