Investigating adaptation strategies developed by potato farmers to cope with climate change impacts in Egypt

Abstract EN

Egypt is one of the top 20 producers of potato worldwide and the first largest producer and exporter of potatoes in Africa in 2019.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the adaptation strategies that have been developed by potato farmers in Egypt to cope with climate change impacts.

This was achieved by a) Identifying influences of local climate changes, b) Conduct an economic analysis of potato cultivation in the study area, c) Recognizing the influences of farm management practices on potato cultivation stages through consultation, questionnaires, and interviewing local farmers and producers.

Results revealed that climate variability had major impacts on potato production in Egypt during the last 15 years.

Nowadays, December and January can be considered hazardous months for potato plants, as the plants cannot tolerate the low temperature during these two months.

In order to minimize climate change impacts on potato production in Egypt, the following adaptation practices were developed by farmers.

To avoid the impacts of high temperatures, farmers should prevent irrigation during the daytime till sunset and irrigate during the night.

In case of low temperature, applying irrigation in low quantities with small amounts of ammonia acid through continuous cycles during both day and night will significantly increase the plants' resistance.

Also, fencing the farms with tree lines and viaducts will reduce flooding hazards.

Finally, adjusting planting dates between the 1^st of October until the end of November may help in mitigating the impact of new potato diseases.