Sudan.. How does the Renaissance Dam affect agricultural crops?

Khartoum

, agricultural experts in the

Sudan strongly supports the

idea of

making the

most of the

dam renaissance of

Ethiopia ,

which is

about the

country neighbor to

complete its

construction ,

just 15 kilometers from the

Sudanese border, and growing certainty that the

media and politics Asoukan decision makers in this country away from looking at the

filled half of

which can be to achieve the dam.

The Renaissance Dam is located 20 kilometers from the Sudanese border, and its height is 145 meters and its length is 1,708 meters.

Despite the thick cloud of disagreements that shade the atmosphere of the three countries concerned with the Renaissance Dam - namely, Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia - due to the failure of the agreement on technical issues related to filling and operating;

Sudan seems more supportive of its construction compared to Egypt, especially since the project is able to reduce the flooding of the Blue Nile, whose level increases in the rainy season, and the dam gives countries that suffer from a lack of electrical supply access to hydropower.

However, Sudanese government officials say they need guarantees from the Ethiopians on safety issues in joint coordination before opening or closing the gates to control the amount of water flowing.

Another aspect is related to the climatic and environmental changes that the dam can bring about, to the extent that it may affect the crops grown in Sudan along the Blue Nile on which the dam is built, which is considered by specialized experts as a great positive that Sudan should interact with, but complaints rise from The lack of academic institutions or research on how to deal with these variables.

stabilization of the Nile supply

The same thing is confirmed by Amin Khader Bellah - an expert in the field of environment and agriculture - that no relevant party has confronted the study of the effects of climate changes on the dam on agriculture or others, despite the presence of a large number of agricultural research centers and agencies in many states.

He points out - in his speech to Al Jazeera Net - that the Renaissance Dam can contribute to stabilizing the levels of the Nile, especially that dozens of agricultural projects depend on irrigation from the Nile through pumps and are thus affected when the water recedes, but after the establishment of the Renaissance Dam, the stability of water levels is likely, which creates a positive return on the The level of irrigation and the elimination of frequent silting problems.

Experts expect the Renaissance Dam to revive the seasons of agricultural crops by stabilizing the Nile levels (social networking sites)

The expert points out that the dates of crop irrigation fluctuate, citing the absence of the peanut crop, despite its paramount importance, due to irrigation problems and that the dam can work to stabilize crop irrigation.

As for the engineer Othman Al-Khidr Al-Rih - who previously held the position of director of the Al-Dim station, which is 15 kilometers from the Renaissance Dam - he assures Al-Jazeera Net that Sudan can benefit from the Renaissance Dam strongly if Sudanese experts share its management with the Ethiopians and agree to coordinate the quantities and size of water, and he is convinced that Success in this will pave the way for the cultivation of at least 20 million acres;

Which means widening the agricultural area and creating great stability in the electric current.

Expansion of cultivation areas

Contrary to the fears that Egypt always expresses that its agricultural areas will be affected by the Renaissance Dam;

The Sudanese side focuses more on its concern about a shortage of energy, because 50% of the country’s electricity production depends on hydro-generation, and its officials talk about the need to secure and safety the Roseires Dam near the site of the Renaissance Dam, without neglecting the potential impact on agriculture along the Nile.

The Sudanese Minister of Irrigation, Yasser Abbas, has always warned that filling the Renaissance Dam will threaten half of the population of central Sudan, who depend on the Roseires and Meroe dams to irrigate their lands and generate electricity. Its ability to generate energy.

Horticultural crops in Sudan have become an important door for export, which heralds a prosperous agricultural future (social networking sites)

However, expert Mohamed Ali Ahmed Al-Tom believes that Sudan is the largest beneficiary of electricity in the Renaissance Dam, but the relevant authorities that were supposed to draw up their plans 5 years ago did nothing and left loud voices to talk about the negatives of the dam despite the possibility of dealing with countless positives. As he says to Al Jazeera Net.

He points out that the dam would create stability in the Nile waters and thus store large quantities of silt, which means that agricultural areas would expand and production would double twice. Al-Tom did not see a problem in the impact of certain crops due to the climatic changes that the dam might cause as long as quick alternatives could be developed by growing long-term crops Especially since the areas of rain-fed agriculture known as the "Al-Dali and Al-Mazmoum" project are witnessing a decline, and the expansion of the Ethiopian dam can make up for that difference.

Crop composition change

The agricultural expert points out that the water bodies that may arise from the dam, in turn, lead to stability, with which livestock can multiply, a complete wildlife life will arise, and river navigation will revive and make a big difference.

Engineer Amin Bella agrees in stressing that the water bodies resulting from the Ethiopian dam, which holds about 74 billion cubic meters, will be large and push towards an increase in rainfall.

Consequently, there is a change in the crop composition of rain-fed irrigation, and a horizontal expansion of irrigated agriculture can occur by utilizing the largest possible areas, allowing for the overlapping of crops.

But the matter also stresses the need for advanced work in the field of water management, pointing out that Sudan was losing 6 to 7 billion cubic meters of its share of the Nile water annually that goes to Egypt.

Fields of corn in Gedaref state, eastern Sudan (Al-Jazeera)

In turn, the expert in agricultural affairs, Mohamed Othman Al-Sibai, confirms that Sudan will not be subjected to any tremor in food security due to the effects of the Renaissance Dam if its resources are professionally managed by taking advantage of the diversity of its climates and maximizing alternatives in projects extending throughout the country, and most of them - he says - depend on irrigation. rainy;

In his speech to Al-Jazeera Net, Al-Sibai suggests releasing the hand of agricultural research bodies and adopting their recommendations, while providing large financial funding for irrigated projects to be able to fill the shortfall that may affect rainy farming areas, as is happening now in some areas that have suffered from delayed rains.