STUDY OF OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS WHICH FACE AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN SIWA OASIS IN MATROUH GOVERNORATE | ||
| Fayoum Journal of Agricultural Research and Development | ||
| Article 15, Volume 30, Issue 1, January 2016, Pages 110-121 PDF (704.92 K) | ||
| Document Type: Research articles. | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/fjard.2016.191736 | ||
| Author | ||
| Rehab A. Elsherbeny | ||
| Economic Department- Desert Research Center | ||
| Abstract | ||
| SIWA Oasis is located in the heart of the western desert of Egypt, 820 kilometers southwest of Cairo. Administratively, Siwa follows Matrouh governorate, the total area is about 94263 km2, about 1, 7% of the total area of the governorate. Siwa includes on five villages (Elmraky- Aghormy- BahyEldin- Abo shroof). The prevailing irrigation system in Siwa Oasis is the traditional flood irrigation, and the irrigation network consists of some irrigation ports that arise randomly next to each shallow well or natural spring for connecting and transporting water. The agricultural productive activity in Siwa Oasis is represented in two main activities, namely Vegetable Production activity and Animal activity. The environment in Siwa oasis is ideal for the cultivation of olive. Olive is one of the most important agricultural crops, where the total number of fruit olive trees is about 504,000 trees “five hundred and four thousands”, and it produces pickling varieties of which about 60% of the annual production of approx the average of fruit area of the dates crop is between a minimum limit of about 5,000 feddans, representing about 95.3% of the average of productive area during the mentioned period, which is about 5246.1 feddans, and a maximum limit of about 5600 feddans, representing about 106.7 % of the average of productive area during the mentioned period. The Oasis is also famous for the Siwi Hibiscus with an area of 40 feddans. Drying and mobilize the medicinal and aromatic plants is spread in the oasis but that is with undeveloped methods that hinder the chances of getting added values of those important and distinctive crops in the oasis. The information center in the City of Siwa in 2014 estimates that in Siwa, there are about 1634 heads of cattle and buffalo, and about 9655 heads of sheep and goats are concentrated parties to the center of the “Barqi” kind and a mixture of the municipal breeds, about 25 camels, about 737 headst . The study used Swot analysis to determine the opportunities and threats which faces Siwa oasis to put complete agricultural development Strategy .The results shows the strength points in Siwa Oasis like Heritage of pollution-free outstanding horticultural crops of palm, olive and the distinct varieties that do not exist in other areas except the oasis, and the presence of organic production in some farms because of the low use of pesticides and fertilizers, as well as the climate and the environment. This point creates important Opportunity to use the possibility of production for export through the settling of specialized and integrated factories for dates, olives and medicinal and aromatic plants that contribute to increase the added value of those outstanding crops and raise from the income of the oasis’ inhabitants, as well as they creates jobs and open new markets. The results shows the weakness points in Siwa Oasis like Absence of the total vision for sustainable development of the oasis and Poor use of water, keeping the old irrigation systems (flood irrigation), the existence of the problem of ground water level rise, and the lack of good agricultural drainage network. This point creates threat like Lack of coordination between the existing projects of oasis, which continuity of development projects that can solve permanent obstacles. | ||
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