Organic greenhouse horticulture in Eastern Meditranean Area, Constraints and Possible solutions

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1 Organic greenhouse horticulture in Eastern Meditranean Area, Constraints and Possible solutions Roula FARES

2 Country Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates Lebanon Syria Egypt Morocco Status Not fully implemented Not fully implemented In the process of drafting regulations In the process of drafting regulations In the process of drafting regulations In the process of drafting regulations Tunisia Fully implemented JORDAN Issue of the Bylaw (April 2011)

3 The Arab region has a total area of about 14 million square kilometers out of which more than 87% is desert, with super aridity and poor vegetation cover dominating the region Water Resources in the Arab Region (Source: Arab World council, 2009)

4 Main constraints Climatic conditions Soil Constraints Pests & diseases Fertilization Lack of water

5 Lack of knowledge Technical experts and at farmers level

Climatic conditions Average annual temperatures, as well as maximum and minimum temperatures, also vary from freezing to over 50ºC, depending on the season and location.

6 Climatic conditions Average annual temperatures, as well as maximum and minimum temperatures, also vary from freezing to over 50ºC, depending on the season and location. Droughts affect the lives of the rural poor through decreased agricultural production and endangered environment as seen in loss of soil fertility, increasing of some diseases problems...

7 Climatic conditions Soil temperatures that are too high are a major constraint on crop production in many parts of the Eastern Mediterranean region. a. Roots absorb more water at higher soil temperatures up to a maximum of 35 C. b. Soil temperature above 20 C leads to a rapid turnover of organic matter and nitrogen mineralization (Kenny & Hanafi, 2001). 7

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10 Under greenhouses, the speed of nitrogen and organic matter turnover is even higher. Therefore, farmers are not counting on manure and/or compost alone, they are also using fertigation with manure juice, intercropping with legumes and the incorporation of crops debris left after the harvest (Kenny & Hanafi, 2001). 10

11 The Soil

12 The Soil

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14 The Soil

15 Lack of water The average amount of rain received by the Arab region is estimated at 2,148 km3 per year, out of which about 50% occurs in Sudan. The average annual precipitation for the Arab nations varies considerably between 18 mm/yr in Egypt and 827 mm/yr in Lebanon, and averages at 156 mm/yr (FAO, 1997).

16 Organic Farming Higher levels of soil organic matter Increase water retention capacity Reduce need for irrigation Less water is consumed Water conservation is a concern in organic farming. It is incorporated as a basic principle into the EU organic regulation (EU regulation 834/2007), so that careful attention must be paid to choosing appropriate and innovative irrigation systems

17 Pests & Diseases 1. Soil born diseases (Nemathodes, sclerotinia, ) 2. Tuta Absoluta 3. White Fly (virus) 4. Red spider mite 5. Tomato russet mite 17

18 Soil Born Diseases

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20 Tuta absoluta Temp Egg Larvae Pupae Adult Total (days) > 24 o C o C

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24 Tomato russet mite 24

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26 Lack of Organic seeds

27 Lack of Bio-pesticides and on-farm input

28 Organic Conventional Tomato Production (Kg/du) 20,000 20,000 13,601 13,275 12,000 12,000 6,422 7,

29 Conventional Sale Amount (US $/ du) 14,000 18,000 4,316 6,375 10,000 11,333 3,732 3,

30 Tomato Production (KG/du) 13,601 13,275 20,000 20,000 6,422 7,916 12,000 12, Sale Amount (US $/du) 18,000 14,000 4,316 6,375 10,000 11,333 3,732 3,

31 Conventional Organic Price of 1kg of tomato (US $)

32 Production Expenditures (US $/du) Conventional Organic 6,466 5,330 5,606 4,037 3,480 3,730 4,484 5,

33 Lebanon Lebanon Lebanon Jordan Jordan Jordan

34 Emirates Lebanon

35 35 Lebanon

36 Jordan Jordan

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39 Thanks for your attention 39

Green Water Assessment in the Arab Region An Approach to Virtual Water Evaluation

برنامج إدارة الموارد الماي ية Green Water Assessment in the Arab Region An Approach to Virtual Water Evaluation Khaled AbuZeid PhD, PE, PMP Regional Water Resources Manager, CEDARE Centre for Environment