[Louis Foxwell]

This briny solution will not turn the desert green without desalinization. That could occur by using the sand as a filter. As the water rises it is filtered until it can be taken up by plants. Various estimates have determined that substantially more water exists at depth than is in all the oceans.
Just like food production, water scarcity is political, not natural.

[RayChuang88]

If they can figure out a way to make that water potable cheaply, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region could suddenly become a GIGANTIC agricultural region. Right now, the oases in that part of the world are already some of the most productive farmland in China on a per hectare basis; making that water available for irrigation could turn much Xinjiang into the 21st Century version of California's Imperial Valley (the former Salton Sink).

[familyop]

"Just like food production, water scarcity is political, not natural."

That's well said and very correct. The following keyphrases should yield some interesting knowledge about remedies.

"artificial scarcity" "open source equipment"