ABSTRACT
The Great Plains of North America stretch in a north-south belt from the Mexican border to the Arctic Ocean (Figure 8.1). They comprise level or gently sloping land which rises about 1,000 m in a westerly direction to the base of the Rocky Mountains. Situated as they are in the continental interior, they represent a transition zone between the humid east and the arid west. The Great Plains are unusual, if not unique, in that they permit an examination of rapidly changing land use over a period of 120 years. Documentary records of events are good and photographic evidence is also available. It is possible to follow the change from a traditional hunting and gathering society carried on by the Plains Indians in the mid-nineteenth century, through pioneering ranching and arable farming, to today some of the most capital-intensive irrigated agriculture found in the USA. The detailed evidence available permits us to study the decision-making processes with regard to dryland management in a manner which is certainly not possible throughout most of the Old World. Location and extent of the Great Plains https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315832210/e438b80f-55d6-43b7-8c14-867ec39489e7/content/fig8_1_C.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
