A memo (in Arabic) was submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation highlighting the key project outcomes. The memo included an analysis of the ESI maps, a recommendation of crops to soil suitability, socio-economic policy action to improve communication between farmers and government entities as well as mapping ESI to socioeconomic characteristics of individuals on the district level.
The ESI maps indicated that most of the districts of Alexandria are unsuitable for farming owing to their proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, and the nature of the industrial activity located there. Recommended actions include modifying the region’s strategy, by converting it into fish farming (aquaculture) rather than agriculture. The results indicated that the highest degree of land degradation and desertification (>1.530: CAA3 (HSL)) is concentrated in the Beheira Governorate, specifically the Qattara Depression area and Wadi Al-Maghra (representing 46 percent) of the total area of the hinterland of the Beheira Governorate. Several suggested treatments are also proposed to reduce the impact of soil degradation and productivity in the long term.
On the other hand, a Vulnerability Assessment including a mapping of the socioeconomic status of individuals on the district level in both governorates to the environmental sensitivity index found that the areas most affected by land degradation have the lowest socioeconomic status. For instance, Dalangat is the most sensitive district to land degradation in Beheira, which is also characterized by relatively lower agricultural revenue, the lowest wealth index, as well as the lowest average years of schooling.
In Alexandria, the Mena El-Basal district is the most sensitive area to land degradation and is also characterized by the lowest wealth index, the lowest average years of schooling, a higher-than-average household size of approximately 6 people, and high population density, leading to high urban sprawl in that area.
Therefore, the proposed policy action would be designing customized interventions for the most affected areas and highly stressed on avoiding the “One Size fits all” approach.
A detailed elaboration of the project will be available as a journal paper to be updated here.