Egypt Environment
Location and the Land
Egypt is located in Africa and covers 995,450 square kilometers of land and 6,000 square kilometers of water. The Nile River runs through the middle of the desert, and is a major reason for why many people chose to settle in Egypt.
Image Source: Geology.com
Weather and Seasons
Egypt is very dry with fewer than 80 millimeters of rain annually, and most of this rain is along the coast. Egypt also only has two seasons, a mild winter from November to April and a hot summer from May to October.
Image Source: Egypt Tours Plus
Natural Resources
Egypt's three largest natural resources are the Nile River (supplying fish), arable land (giving access to farmland), natural gas and petroleum. They are ranked 44th in the gross domestic at roughly $235.4 billion.
Image Source: Uganda Tourism Center
Agriculture Overview
Agriculture in Egypt contributes 11.8% of the countries gross domestic product
The agriculture sector makes up 28% of all jobs
Egypt's agriculture sector is mostly small farmers using traditional techniques that do not meet international standards.
Image Source: Britannica
Top Commodities
wheat
barley
pomegranates
plums
grapes
legumes
Image Source: Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics
Soil Quality
96% of Egypt's soil is desert, however the soil near the Nile River has a sustainable environment to grow crops. That is where most of the land is utilized for farming (Britannica).
Irrigation
Scientists are looking at technology to save water and boost crops to compensate for the harsher climates. This mobile irrigation system saves between 15%-20% of water used. It is difficult to obtain funding for the technology, but reduces the effects of the drought drastically. Other benefits include, "It can prepare an acre of agriculture land in half an hour, a task it would take farmers a working day to complete manually, using at least 10 workers" (Badr).
Image Source: agfax.com
Recent News Connection
The Suez Canal and Panama Canal are not large enough for modern day ship sizes. A Skyscraper-sized cargo ship ran aground in the Suez Canal on Tuesday, March 23, 2021. It is currently still stuck in the canal, blocking 150 other cargo ships from passing (Gambrell). The current plan for removing the ship is flooding the river so the water rises and the ship will be able to wedge out.
How this effects agriculture: Egypt's economy relies on 25% of their food to be imported by other countries (Trading Economics). The Suez Canal is one of the main shipping canals in Egypt. This is predicted to cause a food shortage in the country because other ships are unable to pass through the canal until the ship is moved.
Badr, Hazem. Egypt's Small-Scale FARMERS Buoyed by Technology Investment. 11 Apr. 2019, www.scidev.net/global/supported-content/egypt-rolls-out-water-saving-smallholder-equipment/.
Britannica. “Agriculture and Fishing.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/place/Egypt/Agriculture-and-fishing.
Gambrell, Jon. “Shipping Losses Mount from Cargo Vessel Stuck in Suez Canal.” Yahoo! News, Yahoo!, 2021, news.yahoo.com/stuck-ship-egypts-suez-canal-030341862.html.
Trading Economics. "Egyptian Imports". 2021. https://tradingeconomics.com/egypt/imports#:~:text=Egypt%20imports%20mainly%20mineral%20and%20chemical%20products%20(25,equipment%20(15%20percent)%20and%20base%20metals%20(13%20percent).