Rice Production in Egypt: The Challenges of Climate Change …
309
85.6% of the used water; estimated by about 69.30 billion m
3 . A large portion of
this water is groundwater used directly, or after mixing with Nile fresh water, and
treating to be appropriate for using [49]. Rains are not sufficient and effective enough
to depend upon for production. Rain-fed agriculture is practiced in only 2% of the
total area. The per capita rate of Nile water is nearly 850 m
3 year
−1 —under the water
scarcity—whereas the minimum per capita needs should be up to one thousand m
3
year
−1 . Egypt is among 35 water deficit countries in the world. In Egypt, 87.7% of the
total water is being consumed by agriculture, 5.4% by industry while the total human
consumption touches the figure of 6.8% of the total water. For the irrigation of the new
land, each drop of water has become the focus of the government in Egypt. Efforts are
being increased to focus in the future on the enhancement of the irrigation systems,
the introduction of real irrigation technologies that could be effectively utilized to
irrigate the newly reclaimed agricultural areas. Modern irrigation methods such as
drip irrigation and sprinkler need to be used for overcoming the water shortage and
scarcity [45].
Rice is the second major staple crop and is considered the most profitable export
crop of the summer season. Egypt reported a 2.3% growth in production to a total of
6.9 million tons in 2008 due to a 5.6% extension in productive land. The increased
rice cultivation that has been resulted in a hike on international markets has added
pressure on water resources since rice cultivation is outstandingly water intensive.
Farmers practice fish-farming in rice fields to enhance a rice farmer’s income. In 2008,
because of water management policy, the restrictions were imposed on the area that
will be brought under rice cultivation, but policy proved ineffectual. Therefore, the
government placed an export forbid in for reducing the domestic price of rice. The
raising of the ban has allowed exports to increase again, and to benefit from the high
international prices of the commodity. Rice Cultivation also helped farmers to realize
higher profits as compared to other traditional summer crops [45].
Rice is easy cultivation crop with assured results. Local rice productivity is estimated at around 3.5 tons/acre. The present practice of rice cultivation is requiring
fewer farming efforts, can satisfy farmers’ daily nutritional requirements as well as
can wash salty lands. A tendency to grow large patterns of rice throughout the Delta
is also created among farmers due to the free delivery of irrigation water, according to
which rice becomes of better profitability compared to other crops. The deformation
in making cropping decisions promotes the extension of rice areas even with deficiencies concerning water requirements for the country reclamation strategy [12]. Rice
water consumption is approximately 2–3 times higher than is required for producing
other cereals, such as maize or wheat [10, 37]. In addition to the land and energy
issues, with most of the rice being grown under irrigated conditions, water is another
scarce resource that is crucial for rice production. Producing one kg of rice requires
around 2672 L of water-about 2.5 times the amount of water needed to grow a kg
of wheat or maize [13]. Despite the importance of rice production, it also adversely
affects the environment. For instance, besides the highwater extraction required for
rice production, heavy pesticide usage is another burning concern. Also, when rice
is flooded, it undergoes anaerobic processes, resulting in the formation and release
of large amounts of methane into the atmosphere [37].
309
85.6% of the used water; estimated by about 69.30 billion m
3 . A large portion of
this water is groundwater used directly, or after mixing with Nile fresh water, and
treating to be appropriate for using [49]. Rains are not sufficient and effective enough
to depend upon for production. Rain-fed agriculture is practiced in only 2% of the
total area. The per capita rate of Nile water is nearly 850 m
3 year
−1 —under the water
scarcity—whereas the minimum per capita needs should be up to one thousand m
3
year
−1 . Egypt is among 35 water deficit countries in the world. In Egypt, 87.7% of the
total water is being consumed by agriculture, 5.4% by industry while the total human
consumption touches the figure of 6.8% of the total water. For the irrigation of the new
land, each drop of water has become the focus of the government in Egypt. Efforts are
being increased to focus in the future on the enhancement of the irrigation systems,
the introduction of real irrigation technologies that could be effectively utilized to
irrigate the newly reclaimed agricultural areas. Modern irrigation methods such as
drip irrigation and sprinkler need to be used for overcoming the water shortage and
scarcity [45].
Rice is the second major staple crop and is considered the most profitable export
crop of the summer season. Egypt reported a 2.3% growth in production to a total of
6.9 million tons in 2008 due to a 5.6% extension in productive land. The increased
rice cultivation that has been resulted in a hike on international markets has added
pressure on water resources since rice cultivation is outstandingly water intensive.
Farmers practice fish-farming in rice fields to enhance a rice farmer’s income. In 2008,
because of water management policy, the restrictions were imposed on the area that
will be brought under rice cultivation, but policy proved ineffectual. Therefore, the
government placed an export forbid in for reducing the domestic price of rice. The
raising of the ban has allowed exports to increase again, and to benefit from the high
international prices of the commodity. Rice Cultivation also helped farmers to realize
higher profits as compared to other traditional summer crops [45].
Rice is easy cultivation crop with assured results. Local rice productivity is estimated at around 3.5 tons/acre. The present practice of rice cultivation is requiring
fewer farming efforts, can satisfy farmers’ daily nutritional requirements as well as
can wash salty lands. A tendency to grow large patterns of rice throughout the Delta
is also created among farmers due to the free delivery of irrigation water, according to
which rice becomes of better profitability compared to other crops. The deformation
in making cropping decisions promotes the extension of rice areas even with deficiencies concerning water requirements for the country reclamation strategy [12]. Rice
water consumption is approximately 2–3 times higher than is required for producing
other cereals, such as maize or wheat [10, 37]. In addition to the land and energy
issues, with most of the rice being grown under irrigated conditions, water is another
scarce resource that is crucial for rice production. Producing one kg of rice requires
around 2672 L of water-about 2.5 times the amount of water needed to grow a kg
of wheat or maize [13]. Despite the importance of rice production, it also adversely
affects the environment. For instance, besides the highwater extraction required for
rice production, heavy pesticide usage is another burning concern. Also, when rice
is flooded, it undergoes anaerobic processes, resulting in the formation and release
of large amounts of methane into the atmosphere [37].