Ayman Farid Abu Hadid, former Minister of Agriculture, said the increase of temperature by one degree Celsius will affect the amount of water available on the planet earth, and in case it rose by 3 degrees, it will affect the availability of food as a result of a significant shortfall in crop productivity.
Abu Hadid added during a seminar at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Minya, entitled "The future of agriculture in Egypt on Wednesday that the water level of seas and oceans will rise in case temperature rises by 5 degrees Celsius, stressing that Egypt is one of the countries that would be affected by the water crisis in 2050 if it did not take precautionary measures in preparation for climate change challenges.
The climatic changes will affect the Delta, and might cause its north areas to drown and a detriment of agriculture in Egypt, he said, pointing out that the higher the temperature is, the more water crops will need.
Climate change will heavily affect crop productivity, in light of the decreasing amount of water in the Egypt where the average share of water per capita is less than 500 cubic meters of water, compared to other countries, said Abu Hadid.
Egypt will be one of the most affected countries by the future of water during 2050, according to research and scientific studies.
Abu Hadid also stressed the need for the development of surface irrigation system, and proposed solutions to reduce water consumption, and increase crop productivity, including the agricultural land settlement using laser, the use of sprinkler and drip irrigation system, and genetic engineering and modern technology to improve productivity.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
