LAND RECLAMATION IN EGYPT

Land reclamation in Egypt is of ancient origin, which for several mill ennia focused on the alluvial soils of the Nile Valley and Delta. The assumption of power by Mohammad Ali marked the beginning of a rapid in crease in cultivated land expansion as he embarked upon large scale re clamation works and canal construction/expansion. Much of the reclamat ion efforts during this period were directed toward the saline clay so ils of the Northern Delta between the two branches of the Nile, land r eclamation in the deserts was only minor. During the second half of th e 19th and the first half of the 20th century land reclamation in Egyp t made only small progress. After the 1952 revolution a new attempt in land reclamation was made. Efforts from there on have increasingly fo cused on the reclamation of desert sands, as most of the remaining are as of undeveloped alluvial soils are relatively small and/or have part icularly difficult reclamation problems. This paper reports in its mai n part on the historical background of land reclamation in Egypt and d iscusses the problems in connection with Egypt's efforts to increase i ts arable land area by land reclamation. Finally the question is raise d whether the reclamation of desert sands is sustainable, especially u nder consideration of Andreae's hypothesis that ''with rising income e xpectations and standards of living, higher agricultural yield levels are necessary. And this is why in the course of development land which has been regarded until now as fairly fertile will become marginal la nd, and the previously marginal land will go out of production.'' Besi des this the question of water supply to irrigate the newly reclaimed land is still open.