Seminar on “Challenges of water and food resources in Egypt and means to address them”

On January 16, 2024, ECFA held a seminar on “Challenges of water and food resources in Egypt and means to address them,” with the speaker Prof. Dr. Nader Nour El-Din, Professor of Water and Land Resources at Cairo University. The meeting was opened by Ambassador Dr. Ezzat Saad, ECFA Director, and Ambassadors Rakha Hassan, Youssef Zadeh, Mona Omar, Ali El-Hefny, Wafaa Bassim, Adel Al-Saloussi, Mohamed Mounir, Farouk Mabrouk, Mohamed El-Ashmawy, Abdel Moneim Omar, Ayman Mousharrafa, Dr. Sadeq Abdel-Aal, Dr. Magda El-Qady, and advisor Dr. Hazem Gad, in addition to a number of researchers concerned with water issues.

Dr. Nour El-Din indicated the very important interlinkage between water resources and food security, and thus the national security of any country, pointing out that the total volume of water resources in Egypt amounts to 62 billion cubic meters, divided into Nile water (55.5 billion), groundwater (5.5 billion), and rainwater that can be utilized (1.3 billion), adding that this volume is not sufficient to meet the various water needs within the country, as the volume of these resources is supposed to be 105 billion cubic meters, to exceed the internationally known water poverty line, which is estimated at 1,000 cubic meters of water per capita annually. Hence, there is a deep water gap of 43 billion m³ per year.

Accordingly, the state sought to open new horizons in an attempt to manage this water deficit. For example, the process of re-treating waste water is being carried out, which saves 20 billion cubic meters annually, thus raising the Egyptian citizen’s share of water annually from 600 cubic meters to 800 cubic metres, but there is still a deep water gap, with the 23 billion cubic meters of water that is needed, especially since there is a belief that the water gap in Egypt is still under control, but it still has an effect related to ensuring food security in the country.

In this context, Dr. Nour El-Din affirmed the need to reconsider the agricultural crops that consume large amounts of water, and the need to increase funding for agricultural research projects, which helps to find new types of crops that save water consumption, while maximizing their quality. This is in conjunction with the availability of experts with a high degree of knowledge and awareness in the global stock exchanges where commodities are offered, as well as the necessity of resolving the dollar liquidity crisis and dollar disturbances as quickly as possible, as they affect farmers’ choices as there is no compliance with the agricultural cycle.