Egypt’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Hani Sweilam participated Saturday in the launch of the “Food and Agriculture Initiative.. For Sustainable Transformation”, within the activities of COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh.
In a speech, Sweilam said that the agricultural sector consumes about 70% of water resources around the world, and this percentage rises to 80% in the Middle East and North Africa, which requires achieving complete interdependence between water and agriculture sectors to achieve food security.
Sweilam affirmed his full support for the “Food and Agriculture” initiative, which will be integrated with the “Adaptation in the Water Sector” initiative, which Egypt will launch on 14 November during the “Water Day” activities at the climate conference.
The minister pointed out that climate change has a significant and obvious impact on the water and agricultural sectors, as the rise in temperature leads to an increase in water use and negatively affects the productivity of some crops as a result of high heat waves at the global level, which requires supporting the water and sustainable agriculture sectors to face climate changes, and taking measures that achieve adaptation and enhance resilience and resilience in the water and agricultural sectors.
He added that the events that the world is witnessing during the current year have negatively affected food supply chains around the world, in addition to the challenges posed by climate change to providing water and safe food, prompting everyone to mobilize efforts to support water and food issues. “Egypt’s water, food, and agricultural security issues are on the priorities of the COP27 agenda,” he said.
Sweilam added that climate change has prompted global research institutions, international organizations and governments of countries to join hands and take joint measures to develop solutions to the problems resulting from climate change based on innovations and scientific research.
The minister stressed the importance of working to raise the efficiency of water use and maximizing the return from the water unit and working to increase crop productivity, and the importance of expanding the use of smart and sustainable agricultural systems based on the best alternatives used globally in this field, taking into account the technological difference between the west and Africa.
