Exploring Changes in the Agricultural Calendar as a Response …
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for livestock breeding (meat production) [43]. This is to affect almost all the Nile
Delta governorates; however, Daqahlia, Sharkia, and Qalyubia governorates are to
be affected the most as about 70% of their agricultural land is covered with strategic
crops.
This decrease in production percentage relies on the accessibility of the necessary
water requirements, as the increase in temperature would increase water requirements per field crop per feddan. Water scarcity would, therefore, exacerbate the
yield deficiency of the field crops. The cultivation of field crops’ in the Nile Delta
governorates in 2030, would increase the field crops’ water requirements by about
2% of the total field crops water requirements in Egypt based on 2015 data that are
equivalent to about 0.7 billion m
3 .
The net value of total field crops in the governorates of the Nile Delta is projected
by about 5% of the net value of total field crops in Egypt based on information from
2015. The net value of clover is to be influenced with such a decrease of roughly
7%, followed by vegetables with a net decrease of 6%, and medicinal crops with
a decrease of approximately 5%, while the net value of cotton is to increase by
approximately 11% of the total net value of cotton in Egypt based on 2015 data.
The governorates to be affected the most due to these reductions are: Damietta and
Menufia as about 50% and 40% of their field crops’ net value respectively comes
from clover. Alexandria and Ismailia as about 70% and 65% of their total field crops’
net value comes from vegetables. Daqahlia and Sharkia as their net value from cereals
is about 50% and 40% respectively. Based on the average yield per field crop per
feddan per governorate the farm level income would differ from one governorate to
the other, which would consequently affect the livelihood of farmers.
11 Overall Discussion
Agricultural history discards a series of adaptations by farmers to a wide range
of climatic, social and agronomic factors. They have been able to establish their
livelihood techniques in a manner that allows them to continuously deal with climate
variability, dangerous pest attacks and changing local, national and global policies
[44].
The dates of adjustments in agricultural operations, in general, and especially the
seeding date, are reported widely in the literature on adaptation to climate change
[13, 14]. The entire agricultural calendar is adapted when the sowing date has been
changed. As a response to climate variability, the detected changes in the agricultural
calendar display that the cropping season is getting longer because farmers have to
start the land preparation activities earlier while the onset of the rainy season might
occur later than usual.
In Sub-Saharan West Africa in general, farmers indeed tend to sow maize after
the first main rainfall (>20 mm) occurring at the start of the rainy season [45]. Farmers tend to face dry spells after the first sowing due to the high climate variability.
267
for livestock breeding (meat production) [43]. This is to affect almost all the Nile
Delta governorates; however, Daqahlia, Sharkia, and Qalyubia governorates are to
be affected the most as about 70% of their agricultural land is covered with strategic
crops.
This decrease in production percentage relies on the accessibility of the necessary
water requirements, as the increase in temperature would increase water requirements per field crop per feddan. Water scarcity would, therefore, exacerbate the
yield deficiency of the field crops. The cultivation of field crops’ in the Nile Delta
governorates in 2030, would increase the field crops’ water requirements by about
2% of the total field crops water requirements in Egypt based on 2015 data that are
equivalent to about 0.7 billion m
3 .
The net value of total field crops in the governorates of the Nile Delta is projected
by about 5% of the net value of total field crops in Egypt based on information from
2015. The net value of clover is to be influenced with such a decrease of roughly
7%, followed by vegetables with a net decrease of 6%, and medicinal crops with
a decrease of approximately 5%, while the net value of cotton is to increase by
approximately 11% of the total net value of cotton in Egypt based on 2015 data.
The governorates to be affected the most due to these reductions are: Damietta and
Menufia as about 50% and 40% of their field crops’ net value respectively comes
from clover. Alexandria and Ismailia as about 70% and 65% of their total field crops’
net value comes from vegetables. Daqahlia and Sharkia as their net value from cereals
is about 50% and 40% respectively. Based on the average yield per field crop per
feddan per governorate the farm level income would differ from one governorate to
the other, which would consequently affect the livelihood of farmers.
11 Overall Discussion
Agricultural history discards a series of adaptations by farmers to a wide range
of climatic, social and agronomic factors. They have been able to establish their
livelihood techniques in a manner that allows them to continuously deal with climate
variability, dangerous pest attacks and changing local, national and global policies
[44].
The dates of adjustments in agricultural operations, in general, and especially the
seeding date, are reported widely in the literature on adaptation to climate change
[13, 14]. The entire agricultural calendar is adapted when the sowing date has been
changed. As a response to climate variability, the detected changes in the agricultural
calendar display that the cropping season is getting longer because farmers have to
start the land preparation activities earlier while the onset of the rainy season might
occur later than usual.
In Sub-Saharan West Africa in general, farmers indeed tend to sow maize after
the first main rainfall (>20 mm) occurring at the start of the rainy season [45]. Farmers tend to face dry spells after the first sowing due to the high climate variability.