Climate change, rising sea levels and depleting freshwater reserves are causing a rapid increase in soil salinization, meaning higher levels of salt in the ground. King Abdullah University of Science and Technology researchers are assessing the domestication potential of Distichlis palmeri (D. palmeri), a saltwater-loving plant found in the tidal plains around the Gulf of California in Mexico and consumed by Indigenous peoples, which would help transition salt-degraded lands into productive, sustainable agriculture ecosystems.