Florie Brown : Hi Kathryn, First of all I would try and research look for plants that will grow on your friends land, look at what Geoff did in the desert you will have to start from scratch some of the plants he grew would probably be suitable for your friends property then you start the difficult process of harvesting water when it rains. I saw another video of some one in Ethiopia he has a running streem where they had desert a few years ago. If you watch greening the desert you will come acros it. As for a high alkaline soil you have to use vegetation leaves twigs in a large mass to chang the balance of your soil you have to keep watering to rot it down keep it covered to retain moisture. With the flooding issue Geoff mentioned gabions or I would place rocks old pieces of timber any thing pile it up to prevent erosion