"ACSAD" discusses mechanisms to combat water poverty and development of irrigation systems in Arab countries

The Sixth Conference of Agricultural Research and Extension Managers in Arab Countries opened Saturday with the participation of 16 Arab countries, including Syria, organized by the Arab Center for the Study of Arid Zones and Drylands (ACSAD) to promote agricultural development in targeted areas in different Arab countries. The participants stressed the need to transfer modern scientific methods to develop irrigation methods and reduce wastes from the theoretical research framework to the practical application of farmers from different Arab countries.

Dr. Rafiq Saleh, Director of the Center, said the conference aimed to study the reality of agricultural irrigation in all countries, especially since the water used in agriculture exceeds 85% of the total available renewable water resources of 260 billion cubic meters. Arab cooperation in raising awareness of mechanisms to address the challenges of water and water poverty by developing irrigation systems in the Arab region.

Saleh added that in light of ACSAD's studies and research, the efficiency of irrigation in the Arab region does not exceed 50% of the time. water used, the wastewater thus exceeds 100 billion cubic meters, which is a very large number. Arab countries to reduce this waste, especially as the water deficit in the Arab countries currently exceeds 50 billion cubic meters, which should increase to about 150 billion cubic meters in 2030.

The director general of "ACSAD", which estimates that the region suffers from a food deficit, threatens Arab food security and the bill of food imports amounts to $ 80 billion a year.

"The challenges facing the population and ensuring food security are the biggest challenges facing Arabs," he said, noting that the total arable land in Arab countries did not exceed 17 percent of the total. area and that the meetings would examine mechanisms to address the challenges of water and food security in the region.

Saleh pointed out that the total of what is invested in an Arab agricultural production area of ​​158 million feddans out of a total of 529 million feddans is arable, stressing that 50% of cultivated areas are rain-dependent and that the majority depends In particular, the area under wheat cultivation represents 50% of the cultivated area in the Arab region, with a total productivity of 27%. , 5 million tons, sufficient for 50% of the needs of the Arab population, the rest being imported from abroad.

Regarding the total area under barley, Salih explained that it reached 14 million feddans, or 7 million tons, and covers 30% of the needs of the Arab countries, stressing that "these figures place us face to major challenges requiring an ambitious strategy to exploit the opportunities offered by the wheat program, Center for Agricultural Development and Food Security in the Arab World ".

Saleh said that 19 varieties of wheat resistant to diseases and yellow rust had been adopted, their distribution in the Arab region aimed at increasing the productivity of the wheat crop, developing the extension system Arab agriculture and set up Arab information networks to exchange Arab experiences in research centers in different countries.

The Arab Center for the Study of Arid Zones and Arid Zones (ACSAD) presented at the conference its experiences and studies on methods to reduce waste, to use methods to reduce waste. irrigation, implement pilot fields in Arab countries and train Arab technicians in the development of irrigation methods to reduce waste and increase irrigated area. And a group of Arab researchers has conducted successful experiments in their countries to reduce waste.

Sayed Khalifa, head of the agricultural branch and director of the "ACSAD" office in Cairo, said the Center had succeeded in conducting research and applied studies in the areas of drought-resistant plant variety development, research and development. High-yielding animal species, integrated water resources management, environmental conservation and biodiversity, Assessment and development of natural resources in arid Arab areas, and developing the expertise and knowledge of human resources operating in these areas.

Khalifa added that the Arab Center for the Study of Arid Zones and Dry Areas (ACSAD) had implemented several projects in Egypt, including the fight against desertification, the rehabilitation of degraded natural resources and the development of pastures. natural resources on the northwestern coast of Egypt, surface wells for rainwater storage About 900 wells in the regions of Marsa Matrouh, Sidi Barani, Nujaila and Salum.

A project to stabilize sand dunes using the agricultural drainage waters of the Siwa Oasis was carried out in collaboration with the Desert Research Center and a project to serve the palm and vertical palm groves of the new valley. in collaboration with the Agricultural Research Center.

He pointed out that the rain harvesting projects were aimed at improving the living conditions of Bedouin communities in Matruh governorate, with particular emphasis on the sustainable management of natural resources and on improving the quality of life. water supply for Bedouin families, as well as on the improvement of water accessibility for agriculture and livestock at the level of agriculture. Bedouin families who increase the income of pastoralists or farms, in addition to raising awareness of drinking water in health through awareness campaigns to improve the public health conditions of Bedouin society, in particular the children.

Mr. Naeem Muselhi, director of the Desert Research Center, said that climate change was one of the most serious challenges to water security in Arabic and required urgent and long-term programs. term to cope with the phenomenon, including the development of more resistant crop varieties at higher temperatures. Salinity and drought.

Maselhi added that these challenges required going through rain recovery projects, rehabilitating water catchment areas and underground wells in rainy areas. He also said that a number of projects were undergoing rehabilitation of Roman wells in the Matruh governorate, as well as a number of valleys in the governorate. In rural areas extending from Fokha to Salloum in the west, dams and reservoirs are built in these valleys to rehabilitate the soil and harvest more rainwater for use in agriculture, under the supervision of the Desert Research Center of the Ministry of Agriculture.