Egypt: The Green Revolution

Ashleigh Harlow

The Green Revolution

The Green Revolution originated in the 1960s, and it has successfully boosted agricultural output.  Its effect on South Asia was undeniable. South Asia was once a food deficient area, and since the Green Revolution, it has become a self-sufficient, food producing machine. In India, the Green Revolution has more than doubled their grain production within the last 30 years. There are negative aspects to Green Revolution as well. The cost of the seeds, farming equipment, fertilizer, etc. have eliminated the poorer farmers from continuing to use their land for agricultural purposes. They simply could not afford the high costs of this form of farming. Another result of the Green Revolution is the environment is substantially harmed. These super crops require a lot of fertilizers and pesticides, which ultimately hurt the environment. As with anything, there are positive and negative attributes, and the Green Revolution is no exception. (Rowntree)

As far as Egypt is concerned, the Green Revolution is limited. The majority of the land is desert. Only five to seven percent of the land is being used for agriculture, and this is along the Nile and in delta areas. Space is limited because of the lack in rainfall. At one point in time, there was more agricultural land, but cities have built towering buildings on them. Some farmers are using hydroponic methods to produce food using water nutrients instead of soil, and they are succeeding. (Sarant) Irrigation of the desert has been successful in growing crops as recent as 2010. This advancement is known as the New Valley Project. It entails building a series of canals from Lake Nasser into the Western Desert, and it will provide additional farming land to the country. (Earth’s Snapshot) The Green Revolution is a process in Egypt, but they are making strides to produce more food and make use of their barren land.

Figure 1 Egyptian Hydroponic Farm

 Figure 2 Satellite View of Egypt's Western Desert

Works Cited

Rowntree, Les, Martin Lewis, Marie Price, and William Wyckoff. "Chapter 1: Concepts of World Geography." Globalization and Diversity Geography of a Changing World. Fourth ed. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, 2014. Print.

"Earth Snapshot • Irrigated Circular Fields in Egypt’s Western Desert." <i>Earth Snapshot RSS</i>. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. &lt;http://www.eosnap.com/snapshots/irrigated-circular-fields-in-egypts-western-desert/&gt;.

Sarant, Louise. "Egypt's Quiet Revolution: Sustainable Agriculture | Middle East Institute." <i>Egypt's Quiet Revolution: Sustainable Agriculture | Middle East Institute</i>. Middle East Institute, 16 Mar. 2014. Web. 29 Nov. 2014. &lt;http://www.mei.edu/content/egypts-quiet-revolution-sustainable-agriculture&gt;.

Figure 1. http://www.egyptianhydrofarms.com/

Figure 2. http://www.eosnap.com/snapshots/irrigated-circular-fields-in-egypts-western-desert/