Springer Water

This book promotes better understanding and awareness of South Africa' significant water problems by describing the country's and especially the Upper Vaal River’s water resources. It is a “go-to” book for students, professionals and regular citizens when information is required regarding the country's and more specifically the Upper Vaal River’s freshwater resources. It highlights the major problems and risks which need to be addressed and give a realistic and true representation of the current water affairs.

This book focuses on the soil and environmental resources and how to utilize them under Egyptian conditions to achieve tolerance to environmental abiotic stresses, i.e., drought, heat, salt, pollutants, and biotic stresses such as disease resistance. Further, it explores ways to increase productivity, improve the quality of field crops, and reduce the food gap. The application of modern technologies is an essential mechanism for improving crops' productivity through laser, seed technology, mycorrhiza, and biotechnology to enhance the yield of genotypes in sustainable farming systems. Therefore, this book discusses fundamental ways to increase productivity under various environmental circumstances. 

The book reflects the enormous potential held by horizontal expansion in the newly reclaimed lands in Egypt. Tapping that potential depends on developing crops that are highly tolerant to environmental stresses and mitigating the impacts of climate changes around the world to help Egypt and countries with similar weather and water deficits achieve the 2030 sustainability agenda for agriculture. Given its profundity and scope, the book offers a valuable asset for stakeholders, policy planners, decision-makers, researchers, and scientists in Egypt and worldwide.

This book reviews the economic potential of various natural resources found in the Egyptian deserts that could help fill the food gap in Egypt, e.g., the date palm, olives, and domestic animals. Bearing in mind that the entire country is subject to arid or hyperarid climatic conditions, only a small portion (3% of total area) is agriculturally productive in comparison, the dominant deserts. These aspects, combined with a growing population (ca. 100 million citizens) and water resources scarcity, have produced severe adverse effects on natural resource utilization.

This book presents innovative methods for addressing desert soil's key problems (soil erosion, salinity, pollution, decreased fertility, minerals, and weed and pest control). Its goal is to help authorities reclaim the desert and optimally utilize the minerals and the available natural resources to support the sustainability agenda 2030. Besides, it offers researchers guidance on remaining gaps and future research directions. Lastly and importantly, it provides essential information on investment opportunities in desert cultivation, such as the fields of food, fodder, and medicinal plants.