دراسة مشاكل ومعوقات رفع كفاءة استخدامات الأراضي
في الدول العربية
جامعة الدول العربية
المنظمة العربية للتنمية الزراعية
الخرطوم - جمهورية السودان
ديسمبر 2007 م
فريق العمل :
أ - خبراء من خارج المنظمة العربية للتنمية الزراعية
البرفيسور : عثمان عبدالرحمن التوم
الدكتور : وائل محمد السرطاوي
الدكتور : غياث أحمد علوش
ب - خبراء من داخل المنظمة العربية للتنمية الزراعية
الدكتور : علي زيدان
الدكتور : محمد عيسى مجدلاوي
الدكتور : خليل عبدالحميد أبو عفيفة
Executive Summary
This study is within the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) policy to improve the utilization of land resources in the Arab countries. AOAD made and distributed questionnaires to the Arab countries regarding this aspect, and received the answers. The answers showed that some problems are common and others are specific to some countries. Case studies were also obtained from about seven Arab countries together with the answered questionnaires. These information together with the other references of land resources in the Arab countries were used to help accomplish this study "Improving the Effective Uses of the Land Resources in the Arab Region".
The degradation resulting from the misuse of the land resources depleted these resources qualitatively leading a threat that has to be avoided through appropriate sustained land uses for agricultural development.
Most of the reviewed studies showed that these resources are badly degrading thus threatening agricultural development and food nutrition security in the Arab World. To the misuse factors is added the dramatic increase in the population in the Arab World, phenomenon noticed worldwide. It was noticed that most of the Arab countries made legislations to protect the natural resources including land, but due to proper application of these legislations degradation, aridity and desertification are spreading, thus leading to low agricultural productivity AOAD objectives of this study are :
1- To state the properly suitable agricultural policies for each of the Arab Regions according to the relevant ecological and fertility status of soils.
2- To raise production levels per unit area and decrease the costs of agricultural inputs.
3- To define the limitations facing the farmers in the Arab countries.
4- To state the cooperation and coordination amongst Arab countries aiming at reducing minimizing or overcoming these limitations facing the farmers in the Arab countries .
5- Improving the capacities building by training the cadres involved in agricultural land use activities.
After the scrutiny of the questionnaires, the case studies and the other reports dealing with the utilization and limitations confronting the land use in the Arab countries, this study came out in a publication including the following six chapters :
a- Chapter One :
This chapter is composed of the following titles:
- Location and extent : The Arab countries are subtended by latitudes 150 – 350 N and longitudes 400 E and 150W extending to 7500 kilometers in length and 3000 kilometers in width. It's total area is about 14.1 million square kilometers.
The Arab World is divided into four regions in this study, as known:
1-The Eastern Region comprising about 6.1 million square kilometers.
2-The Nile Basin and the African Horn Region comprising about 4.2 million square kilometers.
3-The Eastern Region comprising about 0.7 million square kilometers, and
4-The Arab peninsula comprising about 3.1 million square kilometers.
- Climate: An arid climate prevails in the Arab countries as rains are low and temperatures are high or easy high.
- Vegetation: The natural vegetation is almost cleared due to the extensive agriculture expansion, over-grazing, fire and cutting wood for domestic uses.
- The Soils: Soils of arid regions prevail in the Arab countries due to the effect of the arid climate. Two major soil orders prevail, namely Entisols (soils of minimum development) and Aridisols (Soils of arid regions). Other less extensive soil orders include Inceptisols , Vertisols, Alfisols and Mollisols.
The suitable agricultural land is estimated as 197 million hectares (2005) but the actual acreage under production is estimated as 79.5 million hectares.
b- Chapter two describes the factors of that led to land degradation in the Arab World dividing them into (a) natural factors including soil salinity, water and wind erosion, sand encouragement; (b) human factors including vegetation cover clearance, urban extension, misuse of water, mechanization, pollution due to chemicals, pesticides etc… and (c) climatic factor and desertification. This chapter also described the status queue of desertification in the Arab countries.
c- Chapter Three dealt with the deterioration in soil fertility enumerating the causes as the vegetation cover clearance, the harsh climate, poor water use management, in addition to other vegetative causes. This chapter also describes the shortages in agricultural ameliorations, land fractionation, agricultural machineries improper use, improved and certified seeds importance as well as adopting the modern agricultural techniques.
d- Chapter Four dealt with the limitations facing production and productivity, stating the retreat in the cultivated areas in the Arab countries and the causes. Of the many causes the chapter reported the urban expansion, lack of policies and acts regulating the - Vegetation: The natural vegetation is almost cleared due to the extensive agriculture expansion, over-grazing, fire and cutting wood for domestic uses. - The Soils: Soils of arid regions prevail in the Arab countries due to the effect of the arid climate. Two major soil orders prevail, namely Entisols (soils of minimum development) and Aridisols (Soils of arid regions). Other less extensive soil orders include Inceptisols , Vertisols, Alfisols and Mollisols. The suitable agricultural land is estimated as 197 million hectares (2005) but the actual acreage under production is estimated as 79.5 million hectares. b- Chapter two describes the factors of that led to land degradation in the Arab World dividing them into (a) natural factors including soil salinity, water and wind erosion, sand encouragement; (b) human factors including vegetation cover clearance, urban extension, misuse of water, mechanization, pollution due to chemicals, pesticides etc… and (c) climatic factor and desertification. This chapter also described the status queue of desertification in the Arab countries.
utilization of agricultural lands and their misuse, overgrazing, erratic rainfall and the depletion of the ground water with some examples from the Arab countries. For agricultural production, this chapter reported the erratic pattern in production in both rained as well as irrigated agriculture. Some of the problems are marketing the products, the in-coordination, the low prices and poor resources of the farmers. Other reasons for the low productivity and production included due management and policies, minimum contribution of the private sector and the poor coordination amongst the Arab governments and the poor financial resources and the poor infrastructure added to the low contributions of the agricultural research organization and the poor facilities for improving the capacities building in the agricultural sector cadres.
e- Chapter Five described the methods for improving the land uses and separated the agricultural sectors mainly into rainfed, irrigated, range and forestry. Further desertification effects on these sectors proposing a comprehensive study to proposed strategies for the Arab countries for sustainable agricultural production and food security. This chapter also, describes the management of the agricultural lands including proper crop mix and crop rotations, hybrid varieties, appropriate application of the recommended agricultural practices including fertilization, crop water requirements and minimum tillage or zero tillage which has to be practiced in suitable environments, soils and crops.
f- Chapter Six stressed the importance of the cooperation and coordination amongst the Arab countries in agriculture and the transfer of the agricultural technology and techniques adopted to other countries through electronic techniques. The importance of collaboration between countries so that rich countries with minimum land resource can invest other countries rich in land resources but deficient in financial aspects. This chapter also pointed to the necessity of the bilateral coordination and a commercial free zone that was proposed and endorsed by the Socio-Economic Council of the League of Arab States. The land use legislation, land fractionation and other aspects were also described and the status queue in some Arab countries and the poor coordination between the countries to maximize agricultural production and stresses the importance of creating as coordination body for the Arab countries. Studying the questionnaires provided by the Arab countries, it was clear that technology transfer, financing, land degradation, human and social factors, overgrazing and desertification are the common problems in the Arab World. The case studies provided by some Arab countries were also reported and it was seen necessary to improve the agricultural technologies, the coordination, inputs and the proper use of irrigation water, the vertical agricultural aspects and the horizontal expansion and the reclamation of saline and sandy soils. The gradual adoption of the new technical agricultural practices is recommended.
The capacities building of the different sectors involved in agriculture in the Arab World were referred to and it was suggested the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development plans and executes five training sessions in the fields of soil fertility, organic fertilization, fertigation, soil management, soil and land classification for agricultural purposes in addition to one workshop for proper sustainable soil fertility and land use.
The study made some recommendations in the following aspects:
The land resources sustainable utilization, soil fertility, limitations of agriculture production and amendments, the appropriate land use practices and the cooperation and coordination amongst the Arab countries regarding the improvement of the agricultural production.
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