Minecraft wiki entry for Survival_in_an_infinite_desert, associated text: To secure the village, again you can use two-block-deep trenches or two-block-high sand walls, or a one-deep ditch next to a one-high wall—the fastest method if you are digging in sand. Check out the village and figure out the smallest trench/wall system that covers all the occupied houses in the village. Check for sandstone and cobblestone and plan to hug these regions of hard stone, not cross them with a ditch—breaking rock takes too long by hand. Even if you have a precious pickaxe, it's too valuable to waste on this kind of activity.