I think that it's an efficient way of concentrating physical efforts on each plant. In the desert SW, it would be effective, especially if it were used to introduce potentially deep rooting cliche-breaking plants such as daikon radishes or other pioneering plants.
The method has the added advantage of concentrating hand-watering
irrigation efforts to specific plants by providing an ample organic sponge around the high-value plants. Agriculture is not usually a naturally developing process in the desert. Do not try to make your desert garden look like something you'd find in wetter climates. The zita pit is useful, but not necessarily
sustainable. It may, however, be a way to establish a tempory yield that you can eat until your more permanent agriculture becomes established, and it may be a way of establishing and maintaining your permanent plants until they can establish deeper
root systems of their own.
If you observe the natural desert environment, the spacing between plants in extremely dry environments often builds up organic and wind-blown materials around specific plants. Mounds form, but short heavy rains cause the water to pool at a point midway between the plants, where the plant's shallow horizontal
roots would be. A potential drawback is that a hard patina tends to form in the cleared areas, which deters microbes and other biotas. (note that earthworms are not
native to the deserts, and will not survive without ample ground cover and litter. Other biological species must take up this niche in the harsh desert climates.
The point is, you must carefully select which water conserving/using scheme you need to use for the specific yields you are shooting for. What is your intent? if it is to protect an annual, like a corn plant, the zita pit may be the way to go. If you are looking to establish a catchment for directing short but intense cloudbursts, you may want to consider how a zita pit might be used in conjunction with other earthwork designs.
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