ACSAD and the Desert Research Center in Egypt: Joint projects in the field of water and agricultural development

Cairo (ST): The Arab Center for Studies of Dry Areas and Arid Lands “ACSAD” is working on a number of joint projects with the Desert Research Center at the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation in Egypt to serve Egyptian agricultural development and the advancement of the northern coastal areas.

 A research team from ACSAD Center, during its recent participation in the celebration of the Desert Research Center in Egypt on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of its establishment, inspected the construction sites of 12 rainwater harvesting dams in Matrouh Governorate, which includes a dam to limit the arrival of rainwater to the Mediterranean Sea and its use in rain-fed agriculture in the region.

ACSAD Center Director Dr. Nasr El-Din El-Obeid underlined in a statement issued by the Center the importance of cooperation with the Desert Research Center at the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation in Egypt, which comes within the framework of joint work between them over many years and confirms ACSAD’s role as the expert in the Arab region.

Al-Obeid pointed out that work with the Center for Sustainable Development of Resources of the “Matrouh” governorate in Egypt depends on the implementation of a package of water dams in various valleys to store rainwater and use it in the cultivation of grazing crops for the people of the region, indicating that the project of water harvesting and good agricultural practices was implemented in Matrouh in cooperation with the Center Desert Research and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations “FAO” to construct “181” wells with a total storage capacity of 18,100 cubic meters of drinking water, and to establish 125 model extension fields for fig and olive cultivation, and 25 model farms.

He explained that these projects contribute to reducing the negative effects of climate change and achieving the Egyptian state’s goals in sustainable development.

For his part, Dr. Abdullah Zagloul, head of the Desert Research Center, pointed out, according to the statement, that a joint project was also implemented to rehabilitate degraded natural resources in Matrouh Governorate and a project to stabilize sand dunes and protect infrastructure in North Sinai Governorate in the Balooza area.

K.Q.