Wind erosion occurs when wind picks up small particles, such as sand. Wind can transport sand away or deposit it. Abrasion occurs when wind borne particles come into contact with other surfaces.
If you choose to develop a sandy desert area, you will need to account for all three of these processes (transport, deposit, and abrasion).
Reducing wind speed at ground level helps to reduce these processes. This is usually accomplished by constructing wind blocks. This can quickly become expensive if fences or walls are used. It also may not be aesthetically pleasing to surround your development with a wall or fence.
The cheapest wind blocks are usually a combination of berms (small hills of earth) and foliage. The foliage helps hold the berm together so that the berm itself is not eroded by the wind. However, sandy ground is a poor medium for plant growth. You will need to substantially improve the soil composition to utilize planted wind breaks.
You must also consider that no wind block is perfect. Significant sand will be deposited into your development from the surrounding area. You should choose outer finishes which are resistant to abrasion. In order to prevent transport of sand out of your development, you will likely want to cover the ground with a less transportable substance. This could be topsoil and grass sod or layers of larger gravel. Both options will incur an expense.
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