Dates are highly nutritional and considered by many to be one of natures most perfect foods
Date palms cover 3% of the earths cultivated surface. Four million tons are grown annually.
Bedouin tribes of the Middle East, who eat a high percentage of dates in their diet, have one of the lowest rates of cancer.
The date palm is a very salt tolerant tree and will grow well in alkaline soils where other plants will not. They are sometimes irrigated with ocean water.
Date palms are like giant solar collectors. They require at least 100 sunny days of 100 degrees for best fruit production. Over the 7 month growing season, which includes Summer, they store the intense energy of the desert in their fruit.
Survival into the next decade. In these uncertain times it's not a bad idea to have a little extra food around. The high calories and excellent nutritional value plus their ablity to keep well for long periods of time make them great for emergeny food rations.