Sustainable indicators in arid region: Case study – Egypt

Abstract

Increasing of population and scarcity of water resources in arid and semiarid countries are one of the major obstacles to sustain agricultural development. When we are talking about Egypt as a case study, there are many reasons that impede sustainable development. These reasons could vary according to spatial distribution. That the urban sprawl is considered one of the most serious factor that impedes the sustainable development in the Nile valley and delta. On the other hand, the northern regions of the Nile Delta face another critical situation that affects the agricultural development and maintaining its development. The northern part suffers from land degradation due to high salinity levels besides rising of the groundwater table. Therefore, this chapter focuses on the assessment of sustainable agricultural development according to several axes. It discusses land productivity, security, protection, validity, and acceptability as well as economic and social factors. Remote sensing techniques and GIS as new trends have been reviewed and considered in this chapter to assess and mapping sustainability degree. Three different methods were reviewed throughout this chapter, and these methods depend on integrating environment, economy, and society factors.