Egypt: Sustainable agriculture in the desert, a lighthouse or a mirage

Greening the desert Since the 1990s, the number of commercial farms operating in the desert has grown significantly. Such companies are an engine for exports and employment. In particular, the export of vegetables, fruit, aromatic and medicinal plants is largely dependent on production in these "new countries". As a result, Egypt has recently become the largest exporter of oranges worldwide. But the supply of products such as potatoes, barley and dairy for the local processing industry, with companies such as Farm Frites, Al Ahram / Heineken and Danone, also depend on this. This often concerns areas along the Nile and the Delta, where they have access to Nile water via irrigation channels or the groundwater-carrying layer along the river. But in many cases, companies make use of non-renewable groundwater through wells. In some areas this has already led to the depletion or salinization of resources. Sekem is a special case of a company that farms in the desert. The basis for this ...