ABSTRACT
There is a common misperception of the Mediterranean as a Garden of Eden, with almost ubiquitous high levels of sunshine and winter rainfall and where almost anything can grow. Certainly the translucent quality of the light and the often azure blue of the sea give an almost iridescent beauty to the coastline that is rarely matched in the world. Yet this is a tough environment for people and nature. The strong variations in rainfall throughout the year, and from year to year, lead to great uncertainty in food production. Annual rainfall totals vary from one to two standard deviations between successive years and runs of drought years produce dramatic reductions in the support for farmers and their families. This uncertainty is passed on to natural growth that is both low in biomass and tenuous in its hold in the environment. Throughout the centuries this has resulted in the traditional basis of wheat, treecrops and livestock. Land management has encouraged the spread and growth of shrubland, and clearance has led to localized and often catastrophic erosion since the Bronze Age. From the same time period, water conservation and irrigation have become fundamental techniques for reducing uncertainty in food production.
