The integration of different production in protected cultivation under Egyptian conditions

Abstract

The present study aimed to discuss modern agriculture problems and new management systems for these challenges in a sustainable manner in order to ensure high production under Egyptian conditions. The new integrated model for use of modern agriculture techniques with the optimization of intensive agriculture reduced the cost and optimized the available recourses. Several challenges are identified nowadays that lead to difficulties in the continuation of conventional protected cultivation business. The results indicated that production cost in 2007 season in Egypt increased by a factor of as much as four compared with the production cost of 1994 (cucumber seed 4.17, pepper seed 5.45, plastic 5.33, methyl bromide 4.4, ammonia nitrate 2.35, super-phosphate 2.67, potassium sulphate 3.14). Additionally, the number of skilled labor on modern agriculture techniques has decreased. Low plastic quality, with a very low life-span is another difficulty. On the other hand, the price/unit product from protected agriculture was almost stable from 1994 to 2007. In order to avoid such unbalanced situation, diversification of agricultural activities reduced the risk and increased the farm income tremendously. The new management systems for the problems included: 1- preparation of execution plan and timetable for weekly precise operations; 2- extensive use of insect-proof nets in greenhouse decreased the cost of plastic cover and pesticide by almost 50%; 3- fertigation scheduling saved the fertilizer and water; 4- protected mango, grapes and citrus, honeybees, intensive green animal feed with soilless system; 5- management of extensive nursery facilities improved efficiency of seedling production from vegetables only, to vegetables and fruits seedlings; 6- intensive aquaculture, sheep and rabbit production as well as the utilization of alternatives of methyl bromide in greenhouse vegetable production. More work still need to be carried out to close the loop of fully sustaining the production.