In the Loess Plateau where slightly more rain than in desert falls, the traditional rain-fed farming method, in which, relying solely on rainfall, fallow land was used for accumulating rain, was originally utilized (particles of loess and of kosa are so fine that surface tension enables water to be accumulated among the particles, providing them with a water-retaining characteristic).
また、砂漠より少し降水量が多い黄土高原などでは、もともと雨水だけに頼り、休耕地をつくって雨を蓄えさせる（黄土や黄砂は粒子が細かく、表面張力によって粒子同士の隙間に水が蓄えられるため、実は保水性がある）伝統的な天水農法が行われていた。