**5.1 Why produce native AMF bio-fertilizers for arid lands?**

Arid lands constitute the most widespread terrestrial biome in earth, with 35% of the land areas of the world. These areas are subjected to several desertification phenomena [3]. To counteract this problem, applications of new agricultural technics are required including application of bio-fertilizers. Nevertheless, the use of AMF for the restoration of degraded ecosystems has received poor attention, requiring a different approach [25]. In addition, loss of AMF propagules is usually recorded following soil and cover plant degradation, which could further inhibit natural and/or artificial revegetation processes [3, 25]. Taking into account all the previously cited aspects and the necessity of restoration in these areas, the ecotechnology proposed by some studies [13–15, 18, 20, 22, 23, 25] represents a good alternative. They propose the restoration of degraded areas by re-introduction of native AMF and plant species [25].
