Improving Agricultural Crop Yield and Water Productivity via Sustainable and Engineering Techniques

Abstract

Of the many problems and challenges facing all arid regions, the shortage of water sources is the most important. Egypt is one such arid region. The total volume of Egypt’s water resources is 72 billion m3/year. The Nile River contributes 55.5 billion m3/year to this total. Recently, the water volume of the Nile River was threatened by the construction of a mega dam by Ethiopia near the border of Sudan. Irrigation consumes 70–80% of Egypt’s water resources. To prevent Egypt suffering from a severe water shortage and due to the increasing population and various external and internal challenges facing Egypt at present, very low per capita water limits have been introduced. To alleviate the suffering resulting from the water limits, all water users must apply all possible techniques to improve water use efficiency in these arid conditions. Examples of sustainable techniques that have been proven to show positive impacts on improving crop yield and water productivity and are also environmentally friendly include: (1) biofertilizers, (2) organic mulching, and (3) compost application. Egypt must apply all possible techniques to improve water use efficiency, starting from the mouth of the El-Rayah, passing through main canals then branch canals until the irrigation water reaches the plant. Examples of engineering techniques that have resulted in improved water productivity include: (1) laser land leveling, (2) new design of drip irrigation system, and (3) pulse irrigation.