Category Archives: Agriculture

Mobile Agriculture in Egypt: Food for Thought

By | | , , ,
Leave a comment

The phenomenal spread of smartphones and the fact that they are practically hand-sized computers, have opened way to the creation of countless ‘mobile applications’ or simply ‘apps’. The first apps that came to light were as expected, for social media and different entertainment channels. They were followed by ‘modern life’ apps in the areas of health, education, agriculture and many more. Almost every area imaginable in our life now has a mobile app that caters to it. Mobile Agriculture in Africa During the course of my work at Orange Egypt, I’ve seen a great amount of interest in mobile agriculture … Continue reading →

Hydroponic Gardening – 5 Easy Ways to Get Started

By | | , ,
1 Comment

Have you ever wondered if you could grow a plant without using any soil? Well, now you can, thanks to an existing system of gardening called Hydroponic Gardening. Instead of using soil, this system allows you to grow plants and vegetables in a solution of nutrients and water! It doesn’t end there, this method can grow plants much faster, can be used all year round, requires less space, and yields more than conventional gardening. Some of the easiest and most common plants, herbs, fruits you can grow are lettuce, oregano, tomatoes, and some other kinds. This is great for those … Continue reading →

السلامة الإحيائية في تونس .. في انتظار صدور القانون

By | | , , ,
Leave a comment

تخطط وزارة الزراعة الأمريكية، وفق تقرير صدر في نهاية فبراير 2017، إلى زيادة صادراتها من فول الصويا إلى تونس “لتلبية الطلب المتزايد منه في قطاع الصناعة”، وهو منتج في غالبيته العظمى معدل وراثيا. ونظرا لافتقاد تونس في الوقت الحالي لأي تشريع وطني بشأن الكائنات المعدلة وراثيا، فمن المتوقع أن تزداد واردات هذا المحصول حتى أفق عام 2025. وفي خضم النقاش الحاصل حول الهندسة الجينية لا يعلم التونسيون الكثير حولها، فقد كشفت دراسة شملت عينة من 2000 شخص من بينهم 16 شركة صناعية و94 فلاحا و100 شخصية فاعلة في عدة قطاعات و18 جمعية، وعرضت نتائجها خلال أيام التنوع البيولوجي سنة 2015 … Continue reading →

An Easy Guide To Setup Your Greenhouse

By | | , , ,
3 Comments

We have all heard about greenhouses, and we have all been told that it is healthy for the environment. However, we might have never been taught how to build one, or how important it is for our Earth. Now more than ever, given the ever-growing presence of global warming that is threatening our planet, it is a must to have a greenhouse. This having been mentioned, if you’re looking to have one, here are some tips in a guide to help you setup your greenhouse. 1. Structure Picking the appropriate structure for your greenhouse is by far the most important step … Continue reading →

القيمة الإستراتيجة للأرض

By | | , , , , ,
Leave a comment

القيمة الإستراتيجة للأرض في تأمين الأمن الغذائي والمعيشي للأجيال الحالية والمقبلة جعلها تكون محور الشعار الذي رفعه المجتمع الدولي للإحتفال باليوم العالمي لمكافحة التصحر الذي صادف في 17 يونيو 2018 “للأرض قيمة حقيقية – استثمرها”، الشعار تجسيداً لمضمون “الهدف 15 – حماية النظم الإيكولوجية البرية وترميمها وتعزيز استخدامها على نحو مستدام، وإدارة الغابات على نحو مستدام، ومكافحة التصحر، ووقف تدهور الأراضي وعكس مساره، ووقف فقدان التنوع البيولوجي”. مقاصد الهدف تؤكد في بعض محاورها على ضمان حفظ وترميم النظم الإيكولوجية البرية والنظم الإيكولوجية للمياه العذبة الداخلية وخدماتها، ولا سيما الغابات والأراضي الرطبة والجبال والأراضي الجافة، وضمان إستخدامها على نحو مستدام، وذلك … Continue reading →

Everything You Should Know About Hydroponic Farming

By | | , ,
1 Comment

Locally grown vegetables and salad greens are becoming increasingly common in the market places of Bahrain, thanks to modern agricultural practices such as hydroponic farming. Bahrain is now taking definite steps towards being self-sustaining with certain food items that frequent our dinner table. By adopting the alternative agricultural practices, Bahrain is actively tackling the issue of food security. Commercial hydroponic farming facilities are well established in Bahrain with a highly promising and very green future. Hydroponic farms are successfully operating in Bahrain even in the summer months when the daytime temperatures are 40-50oC and nighttime temperatures are 30-35oC outside of the greenhouses. One … Continue reading →

How To Choose A Farming App

By | | , ,
2 Comments

In recent years, farmers are increasingly using the achievements of modern technologies in the field of agriculture. With a smartphone, tablet, or laptop, you can use applications to collect valuable data and make decisions based on their analysis. The apps also enable the growers to detect potential threats to the crop, respond to them on time, and plan and monitor all processes in the field. However, it’s not just about getting higher crop yields. Innovative technologies are also helping to tackle pollution and emissions, soil degradation, resource deficiency, and overconsumption of water. Making Your Farm More Efficient The agricultural apps … Continue reading →

Sustainable Agriculture: Perspectives for Jordan Valley

By | | , , , , ,
1 Comment

Sustainable agriculture development is one of the most important pillars of the EcoPeace Middle East’s Jordan Valley Master Plan as it provides livelihood and prosperity for all the people in the valley. The strategic agricultural objective for the study area is improving water use and irrigation efficiencies and economic outputs per unit of water used, and meanwhile stabilize, or even reduce the total water demands for the agricultural sector in the Jordan Valley. This will require adequate tariff policies on water used for irrigation, including enforcement, to stimulate more efficient use of water through for instance greenhouse drip irrigation. These … Continue reading →

Agricultural Scenario in MENA

By | | ,
5 Comments

Agriculture plays an important role in the economies of most of the countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The contribution of the agricultural sector to the overall economy varies significantly among countries in the region, ranging from about 3.2 percent in Saudi Arabia to 13.4 percent in Egypt.  Large scale irrigation is expanding, enabling intensive production of high value cash and export crops, including fruits, vegetables, cereals, and sugar. Egypt Egypt is the 14th biggest rice producer in the world and the 8th biggest cotton producer in the world. Egypt produced about 5.67 million tons of rice and 635,000 tons … Continue reading →

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Gene Editing Technologies

By | | , , , ,
Leave a comment

The use of biotechnology to genetically modify living organisms has garnered worldwide attention, as the application of biotechnology is linked to critical health, environmental, and commercial issues. One of the life sciences categories is molecular biology, which approaches the genetic information stored in DNA from a novel perspective. Gene editing is a technique that aims to extract specific genes carrying desirable traits from an organism (human, plant, animal, or microbe) and artificially attach them to the genes of another organism to transfer that desired trait to the receiving organism. Biotechnology differs from traditional hybridization in that it transfers genes at … Continue reading →

Biogas from Animal Wastes

By | | , ,
11 Comments

The Middle East and North Africa region has a strong animal population. The livestock sector, in particular sheep, goats and camels, plays an important role in the national economy of regional countries. Millions of animals are imported in MENA each year from around the world. In addition, the region has witnessed very rapid growth in the poultry sector. Animal Waste Management Animal waste is a valuable source of nutrients and renewable energy. However, most of the waste is collected in lagoons or left to decompose in the open which pose a significant environmental hazard. The air pollutants emitted from manure include … Continue reading →

السيناريوهات الزراعية في منطقة الشرق الأوسط

By | | , ,
3 Comments

الزراعة تلعب دورا هاما في اقتصادات معظم الدول في الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا . مساهمة القطاع الزراعي في الاقتصاد الكلي يختلف اختلافا كبيرا بين الدول في المنطقة، بدءا من حوالي 3.2 في المئة في المملكة العربية السعودية إلى 13.4 في المئة في مصر. يعتبر الري على نطاق واسع هو توسع ، تمكين الإنتاج المكثف من النقد و تصدير المحاصيل عالية القيمة، بما في ذلك الفواكه والخضراوات والحبوب، والسكر . تحتل مصر المركز الرابع عشر كأكبر منتج للأرز  والمركز الثامن كأكبر منتج للقطن  عالميا . أنتجت مصر ما يقارب  5670000 طن من الأرز و635000 طن من القطن في عام  2011 . … Continue reading →