Management and Development of Agricultural and Natural Resources in Egypt's Desert

This book reviews the economic potential of various natural resources found in the Egyptian deserts that could help fill the food gap in Egypt, e.g., the date palm, olives, and domestic animals. Bearing in mind that the entire country is subject to arid or hyperarid climatic conditions, only a small portion (3% of total area) is agriculturally productive in comparison, the dominant deserts. These aspects, combined with a growing population (ca. 100 million citizens) and water resources scarcity, have produced severe adverse effects on natural resource utilization.

This book presents innovative methods for addressing desert soil's key problems (soil erosion, salinity, pollution, decreased fertility, minerals, and weed and pest control). Its goal is to help authorities reclaim the desert and optimally utilize the minerals and the available natural resources to support the sustainability agenda 2030. Besides, it offers researchers guidance on remaining gaps and future research directions. Lastly and importantly, it provides essential information on investment opportunities in desert cultivation, such as the fields of food, fodder, and medicinal plants.  

Introduction.- Types and distribution of calcareous soils in Egypt.- Reinventing extraction and processing of mineral resources of Egypt.- Assessment of microbial biota in Egyptian desert soil.- Sustainable soil management to mitigate soil erosion hazards in Egypt.- Sustainable Development of microbial community in Egyptian Desert soil.- Bio-fertilizers for sustainable agriculture development under salinity stress.

Prof. Abdelazim Negm is a professor of Hydraulics 2646 and Water Resources in the Water and Water Structures Engineering Department at the Faculty of Engineering at 2648 Zagazig University (ZU). He worked as a demonstrator in the Faculty of Engineering, ZU in 1986 and continued there until he occupied the position of Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs. He worked for the Egypt–Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST) as a professor of Water Resources from  December 2012 until September 2016, and was chairperson of the Environmental Engineering Department at E-JUST from March 2013 until March 2016.

Professor Negm has published more than 350 scientific papers in national and international Journals and conferences, and about fifty book chapters. He has participated in more than eighty-five conferences and was a keynote speaker at several national and international conferences. He has been awarded prizes for best papers three times. His research areas include hydraulics, hydrology and water resources. Currently, he is very interested in sustainability studies, sustainable development and the green environment in addition to water resources management. Professor Negm is a member of IAHR and is the head of the Egyptian permanent scientific committee for Water Resources for the promotion of associate and professorship positions for the cycle 2019–2022, and was the Vice Head for the cycle 2016–2019. He is a member of the editorial board of several scientific journals and international conferences, and was a member of the organizing committee of Oceanography 2015, and IWTC2013-IWTC2017 and others. Additionally, he was Secretary General of the IWTC from 2013 until 2017, then a member of the scientific committee. He was the head of the ZU committee for assessment of the scientific publications of ZU faculties until December 2018. Twelve contributed volumes by Springer Nature during the years 2016–2019, under the Handbook of Environmental Chemistry (HEC). Recently, more than ten contributed volumes were published under Springer Water series in the year 2020. Also, he published some books in other series. Currently, he is organizing several contributed volumes to be published by Springer International Publishing during 2021/2022. He was the editor-in-chief of EIJEST (Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig University from 2016 to 2020), associate editor of IWTJ (IWTA) and EMJEI (Springer) and guest lead editor of AJGS–Springer and Scientific African Journal, Elsevier and a member of the editorial board in others. He is the principal investigator of several international projects. Currently, he is a member of the editorial board of the HEC series. Professor Negm is listed in: Marquis’ Who’s Who? For  over than ten years until now; IBC’s 2000 Outstanding Intellectuals of the 21st Century; and the ABI  directory for his achievement in the fields of hydraulics and water resources. He has been nominated for many other awards from both IBC and ABI.