Earth's Fight Against Encroaching Saltwater

Saltwater from the ocean is moving into freshwater. This is a big problem for many people around the world.

In The Gambia, a farmer named Nurse Senneh grows rice. She learned to grow rice from her parents. But four years ago, saltwater came into her rice field. Her rice plants stopped growing well. She tried to stop the saltwater with bags of mud, but it did not work. Now she cannot grow rice on that land. She must buy rice from other countries. This is very expensive for her family.

This problem is happening in many places. In the US, people in New Orleans taste salt in their drinking water. In Bangladesh, farmers cannot grow food on their land anymore. Scientists say this will get worse because of climate change.