Dr. Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq Youssef

The world is facing successive disturbances and crises in addition to an unprecedented rapid change in climatic conditions and a water shortage suitable for human consumption and agricultural production.

All that led to a deterioration in the productivity of strategic crops due to exposure to unsuitable environmental conditions or the effect of a new pest and an increase in the severity of infection due to climate change. Due to these changes, it has become necessary to think of innovative solutions to maintain food and water security, preserve natural resources, maintain production continuity, and work to reduce the deterioration in production.

We depend on wheat, corn, rice, and soybeans for about two-thirds of our food, and reports indicate a decrease in the productivity of most of these crops, and they have been affected by the conditions of climate change.

Environmental or biological conditions are not suitable, so work must be done on more than one path so that crop improvement continues and the development of the best varieties to meet the existing and expected conditions. In addition to considering the need to go to alternative crops and diversity in crops to meet the challenge of limited resources, crops must be chosen carefully to get the highest benefit from the land and water. Also, we have to take advantage of cover crops to expand their beneficial role in maintaining soil health and getting a significant yield. Moreover, there is a need to think about nontraditional sources of food and feed, such as seaweeds, and plants can grow by using seawater.