Sustainable Agriculture Development, Siwa Oasis,Western Desert, Egypt.

Prof. Abo_Ragab Samy, Desert Research Center.,Cairo, Egypt.

Introduction

Siwa oasis is a natural depression about 23m below sea level. It occupies anarea of 1050 km2. Siwa depression covers some 250,000 feddans, of which about23095 feddans are currently cultivated in 2010. Agriculture represents the main sourceof the Siwan economy, essentially focused on cultivation of dates and olives whichcover about 93.4% from the cultivated area.

The total number of inhabitants in Siwa was about 23,745 residents in 2010.

It suffers many environmental problems: water logging, soil salinization, theinefficiency of disposed drainage water systems; deterioration in land productivity.

Siwa Oasis suffers from many environmental problems, the most important of which can be classified as follows:

• 1. Rising groundwater table levels in the soil zone especially when the profile is thin, which causes water logging for cultivated land. This leads to salinization and consequently soil deterioration which in turn results in lowering crop productivity by more than 60%. (Abo Ragab, 2010).

• 2. Random and constant drilling of shallow water wells and improper water management, in additional to the inefficiency of disposed drainage water (Misak, 1988), have contributed to an increase in the deteriorated lands that reached 475 km2 representing about45.24% of the overall area in the oasis in 2010.

• 3. The distribution of irrigation and drainage systems affects the rate of evaporation during the summer (25 mm/day) leading to the development of a thick salty layer that hampers agricultural activities (El Hossary, 1999)

• 4. The groundwater affects the foundations of buildings or the development of cracks in the walls due to water fluctuation (Eman, 2005).

• All these reason's collectively contribute to; (a) water logging, (b) soil salinization, (c) increase of the surface area of the water ponds from 49.9 Km2 in 1988 to 89 Km2 in 2010, (d) the rise of the water level in the soil deposits by 4.5 cm/year, (e) deterioration of land productivity and, (f) reduce the household income of the rural population.

• Improper water management

Inefficiency of disposed drainage water

Land use map 1992 Land use map 1990

Land use map 1996 Land use map 1994

Land use map 2000 Land use map 1998

Land use map 2004 Land use map 2002

Land use map 2008 Land use map 2006

Table (2). Agricultural productivity for the olive and Date palm for the first model (affected by desertification) and the

second model (unaffected by desertification) - Production Tons

Year Productivity affected by desertification productivity unaffected by desertificationOlive Date Palm Olive Date Palm

1990 3.95 3.87 6.6 6.571992 4.1 4 6.64 6.61994 3.98 3.99 6.68 6.51996 4.7 4.6 6.72 6.71998 4.96 4.72 6.75 6.732000 4.85 4.79 6.82 6.82002 4.74 4.7 6.85 6.832004 4.343 4.3 6.88 6.87*2006 4.32 4.845 6.98 6.93**2008 4.9 4.5 6.87 6.85

Solving Siwa Depression Problem

Hydrological

• Shutdown some of the producing wells to minimizewater consumption

• Improve efficiency of irrigation and drainage network

• Alleviating pressure inside the depression of theNobian Sand Stone Aquifer

BiologicalCultivation on drainage water 55000 feddan

Fixation of Sand dunes in the south siwa.

Growing the high-water consuming plants on the

drainage area

Organization

• Tight controls for the wells drilling process and a license

should be issued for each wells.

• New legislation's for land reclamation projects, which

may negatively effect the Oasis environment.

• Restrictions should be made for using the fresh water

of the Nubian sandstone for irrigation.

Cultivation on drainage water the high-water consuming plants.

Shutdown some of the producing wells to minimize water consumption

Improve efficiency of irrigation and drainage network.

Ecological

Advantages

Impact of overcoming the environmental problems.

Economic

Feasability

Enhance environmental quality

and natural resources

Improve health of inhabitants.

Minimize the number of harmful insects.

Enhance the quality of life of farmers

and society as a whole

Satisfy human food needs

*Land profitability increased

Local farmer income increased

References:

• Abo Ragab, Samy, (2010), A Desertification Impact on Siwa Oasis: Present and Future Challenges., Research Journal of agriculture and Biological Sciences, 6(6):791,805© 2010, INSInet Publication

Abo Ragab, Samy, (2014), Sustainable Agriculture Development of Siwa Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt, Minufiya J. Agric. Res. Vol.39 2014 No. 5:1719-1732.

• El-Hossary, M. F. (1999). Evaluation and management of the groundwater resources in Siwa oasis area with emphasis Nubian sand stone aquifer, Ph.D. Thesis ,Egypt ,Faculty OF Science , Ain Shams University,.p65.

• Eman ismail (2004). Phenomenal environment study for high groundwater level of oil and building in siwa oasis, 2004. 210.

• Misak, R.F. (1988). The best method of using of the groundwater resources in Siwa oasis, Desert research center, Cairo, Egypt ,1988. 12-17.

• Siwa Information Center (SIC), (2015), Statement Support Centre and decision-making, Matrouh Governorate, Egypt.