Much of Eastern Europe is fighting a losing battle to plant, grow and harvest amid poor soil conditions.
Poor soil and pasture mean that cattle farms in the semi-arido need at least 100 hectares (250 acres) to be economic.
The Greek climate is also a winning combination: ample sun, minimal rainfall and abundant poor soil set the stage for some serious grape growing.
Due to the consequences of the environmental crisis in Aral Sea region such as poor soil conditions, intensive desertification and land degradation, the farmers and dehkhans often face a plenty of problems.
But allotment holders who have set up a Facebook campaign opposing the plans said the alternative site being offered was too remote, too far away, too close to the M25 and has poor soil.
Women gather beans and other crops planted along the banks, leach the cyanide compounds out of manioc, a root that grows well in the poor soil, and then roast it to make a crunchy flour eaten throughout Brazil.
Shallow plowing, no crop rotation, inadequate seedbeds, and other habits sustained by lore and tradition resulted in poor production and soil exhaustion.
They thrive in poor, sandy soil that supports no other life.
On tiny plots, and often poor-quality soil, without modern equipment or farming methods, and sometimes beset by land disputes, many peasant farmers struggle to feed their family and grow just a little extra to sell in the village market.
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The soil was poor and rocky, and in winter everything froze.
He doesn't accept the view, common among the utopians, that natural endowments like soil and water explain why rich nations are 50 times as prosperous as poor ones.
The problem at present, he says, is that North Korean farmers plant too many poor-quality seeds in a desperate attempt to boost crops, and do so in soil that is becoming increasingly less fertile.
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