Availability and Feasibility of Water Desalination as a Non-Conventional Resource for Agricultural Irrigation in the MENA Region: A Review

Hassan A. Awaad, Elsayed Mansour, Mohammad Akrami, Hassan E.S. Fath, Akbar A. Javadi and Abdelazim Negm
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Hassan A. Awaad: Crop Science Department., Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt
Elsayed Mansour: Crop Science Department., Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt
Mohammad Akrami: Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
Hassan E.S. Fath: Ex-Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST), Borg El-Arab, Alexandria 21934, Egypt
Akbar A. Javadi: Department of Engineering, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF, UK
Abdelazim Negm: Water and Water structures Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 18, 1-14

Abstract: Many countries in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) are facing water scarcity, which poses a great challenge to agricultural production. Furthermore, water scarcity is projected to increase due to climate change, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. The integration of solar power and water desalination systems in greenhouses to overcome water shortages is one of the preferred technologies in crop-growing areas. Crop growth control is done through sufficient management of environmental climatic variables as well as the quantity and quality of water and applied fertilisers with irrigation. Numerous crops such as cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, lettuces, strawberries, flowers, and herbs can be grown under greenhouse conditions using desalinated water. This paper displays the state of the art in (i) solar-driven saltwater desalination to irrigate crops, (ii) the feasibility of water desalination for agriculture in the MENA region, (iii) the economics and environmental impacts of the desalination process, (iv) the quality of desalinated water compared with other non-conventional water resources and (v) recommendations for the future in the MENA region.

Keywords: solar desalination technology; saltwater; greenhouse; water quality; productivity; crops; climate change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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