Pre-farming environment and OSL chronology in the Negev Highlands, Israel

► Sediments underlying agricultural terraces in the arid Negev were dated by OSL. ► The farming installations were established on early Holocene degraded landscape. ► Accelerated natural desertification continued throughout the Holocene. ► Co-existence of soil and runoff enabled runoff-harvesting agriculture. ► Climate changes were not crucial in the rise and fall of the desert farming.