[:en]Organic Farming Worth it: Comparative Study on the true costs of Organic and Conventional Food Production[:ar]الزراعة العضوية تستحق الاهتمام: دراسة مقارنة بين التكلفة الحقيقية لإنتاج الأغذية التقليدية ونظيراتها العضوية[:]

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The recently published study “The Future of Agriculture in Egypt” deals with the question of whether conventional or Organic farming is more expensive in Egypt. The objective of the research was to draw a comprehensive cost comparison between conventional and Organic agriculture methods that also consider the impacts on the environment, for which the country sooner or later has to pay. The research was conducted by the “Carbon Footprint Center” of Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development in cooperation with SEKEM and builds on “The 100% Organic Egypt Study”, which was already published in 2011.

Despite knowing that Organic farming has a positive impact on the environment, conventional farming is still applied in most parts of Egypt. Only one per-cent of the total agricultural area is Organic certified. Among others, this is linked to the widespread belief that Organic farming is more expensive. But this is not true – especially in the long run. “The Future of Agriculture in Egypt” proves the opposite.

Full Cost Accounting

The comparison was conducted by analyzing the economic costs of five national strategic crops in Egypt’s agriculture (cotton, corn, potatoes, rice and wheat), by using the “Full Cost Accounting” methodology and data provided by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). Full cost accounting measures and values (in monetary terms) the external costs of environmental impacts of food wastage. This means that not only factors such as raw materials, certification, human resources and machines are considered, but also the prices that arise through the pollution of soil, air or water.

The research concludes that although Organic agriculture has a slightly higher direct input cost of production, it enables a reduction of the environmental and health damage costs, and therefore, results in better cost effectiveness and profitability in the long-term for society as a whole. The costs for all five conventional cultivated crops are higher than for the Organic cultivation. For some products the net benefit of conventional agricultural products is even lower than the one for Organic crops. This means that if companies would need to bear the costs for environmental pollution or health damage they would even make losses applying conventional agriculture.

True cost comparison of conventional and Organic cultivated crops.
True cost comparison of conventional and Organic cultivated crops.

Currently, through high energy subsidies and no generic water prices, the unsustainable practices are supported and the market is distorted, because there is no fair distribution of the true costs occurring in agricultural production. However, the Egyptian Government seems to create more awareness on the problems of conventional agriculture and starts to foster sustainable farming. This is becoming more and more urgent for a country like Egypt that suffers from a general scarcity of natural resources, such as fertile land or water. At the moment the environment and future generations, which are both pillars of the Egyptian economy, will pay the price for conventional agriculture.

Nils Daun

Read the full study "The future of Agriculture in Egypt"

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تتناول دراسة ’’مستقبل الزراعة في مصر‘‘ التساؤل المطروح عن أي الطرق الزراعية أكثر تكلفة، إن كانت طرق الزراعة التقليدية أم نظيراتها العضوية. كان الهدف من البحث هو إدراج تكلفة الزراعة التقليدية والعضوية بمصر في مقارنة شاملة تتناول أيضًا ما يلحق البيئة من تأثيرات والتي ستدفع الدولة ثمنها آجلًا أم عاجلًا. قام بإجراء البحث ’’مركز دراسة البصمة الكربونية‘‘ بجامعة هليوبوليس للتنمية المستدامة بالاشتراك مع سيكم اعتمادًا على دراسة ’’من أجل مصر عضوية 100%‘‘ والتي نُشرَت في عام 2011.

بالرغم من المعلومات التي تؤكد أن للزراعة العضوية تأثير إيجابي على البيئة، مازالت الزراعة التقليلدية تُمارَس في معظم أنحاء مصر حيث تُعتَبر نسبة واحد في المئة فقط من إجمالي المساحة الزراعية هي المعتمَدة عضويًا بشهادة. تلك الحقيقة متعلقة باعتقاد شائع أن طرقَ الزراعة العضوية أكثر تكلفة عن نظيراتها، وفي الواقع هذا غير صحيح وخاصةً على المدى الطويل، فدراسة ’’مستقبل الزراعة في مصر‘‘ تُثبت العكس.

محاسبة التكلفة الكلية

لإجراء المقارنة، تم تحليل التكاليف الاقتصادية لخمسة محاصيل استراتيجية وطنية في الزراعة المصرية (القطن، الذرة، البطاطس، الأرز والقمح). ولهذا تم تطبيق طريقة ’’محاسبة التكلفة الكلية‘‘ مما يعني أنه لم يقتصر الأمر فقط على تقدير المواد الخام والشهادات المعتمدة والموارد البشرية والآلات بل أيضًا أُخِذ بعين الاعتبار التكاليف الصادرة من تلوث التربة والهواء والماء.

تستنج الدراسة أنه بالرغم من تطلُّب الزراعة العضوية لتكلفة مباشرة أعلى قليلًا في المدخلات الإنتاجية، ولكنها تُمكِّن من انخفاض كلفة تدمير البيئة والصحة، مما يؤدي إلى تكلفة فعالة ومردودية ربحية أفضل على المدى الطويل للمجتمع ككل. إن تكلفة الخمسة محاصيل المزروعة تقليديًا أكثر من تكلفة زراعتهم عضويًا، حتى أن في بعض المنتجات يكون صافي الربح لمنتجات الزراعة التقليدية أقل من نظيراتها العضوية. هذا يعني، في حالة اضطرار الشركات لتحمُّل كلفة تلوث البيئة أو تدهور الصحة، فحتمًا ستتكبد خسائر.

مقارنة التكلفة الحقيقية بين المحاصيل المزروعة عضويًا ونظيراتها المزروعة تقليديًا.

ومن خلال وسائل دعم الطاقة العالية وعدم وجود تسعيرة عامة للمياه، تكون النتيجة حاليًا هي مساندة الممارسات غير المستدامة في مصر مما يشوِّه السوق لعدم وجود توزيع عادل للتكاليف الحقيقية القائمة في الإنتاج الزراعي. وعلى الرغم من ذلك، تبدي الحكومة المصرية سعيًا لتشكيل الوعي بشكل أكبر عن مشاكل الزراعة التقليدية كما بدأت في تبنّي أساليب الزراعة المستدامة. يزداد هذا الأمر إلحاحًا وأهمية خاصة في دولة مثل مصر التي تعاني من النقص العام في الموارد الطبيعية كالأرض الخصبة أو المياه، ففي الوقت الراهن مَن يتحمل تكاليف الزراعة التقليدية هي البيئة وأجيال المستقبل وكلاهما عماد الاقتصاد المصري.

نيلس داون

Read the full study "The future of Agriculture in Egypt"

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MED-WET Partners Participate in Fundão Agricultural Innovation Fair, October 2024, Portugal

[:en] The MED-WET partners, including the team from Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development, had the opportunity to showcase their excellent results at the Fundão Agricultural Innovation Fair, held during (9-13) October 2024 in Portugal. This event provided a wonderful platform to widely share the project’s advancements, exchange insights, and engage with various international stakeholders in the water, energy and agricultural sectors. During the fair, the HUSD team actively participated in a parallel conference, where they delivered in-depth presentations and speech covering the MED-WET’s goals, achievements, and importance in advancing sustainable water management for climate-resilient agriculture among the rural and desert communities. At the heart of their presence was the MED-WET stand, which attracted significant attention of the majority of participants. It served as a focal point for information dissemination, providing an interactive space where farmers, agricultural experts, policymakers, and researchers could learn more about the project’s innovative approaches to water conservation and irrigation technology in arid regions. The stand featured detailed explanations of the project’s outcomes, including key findings and 3-D prototypes of the three technologies “Constructed Wetlands in Sekem El-Wahat, Solar energy-driven desalination for greenhouse agriculture in Malta and the SLECI Irrigation technology in Portugal and Morocco”. This obviously proven the MED-WET’s success in realizing efficient water management practices that contributed to sustainable farming and addressed water scarcity challenges in the Mediterranean region. Overall, the Fundão Agricultural Innovation Fair was a highly productive experience for all participants. It allowed the MED-WET team to expand their network, raise awareness about the critical issue of water scarcity, and underscore the project’s role in promoting sustainable agricultural practices across the Mediterranean region. The fair highlighted the increasing importance of collaborative efforts in addressing water conservation and irrigation challenges in agriculture, reinforcing the relevance of the MED-WET initiative. [:]

[:en]Showcasing the Med-Wet Project: Partners Participated in the Euro-Mediterranean Innovation Marketplace in Cairo[:]

[:en] One of the Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development’s successful research projects called “MED-WET” is selected among the top successful and highest performing 20 EU–Prima projects worldwide this year 2024. An international conference and fair was conducted on 3 Oct., 2024 in Cairo organized by Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in association with the European Commission (EC) office in Cairo. In which, a team from HUSD and MED-WET’s partner countries from Malta and Germany presented the key results of the MED-WET project, including the successfully developed three technologies (Constructed Wetlands in Sekem El-Wahat, Solar energy-driven desalination for greenhouse agriculture in Malta and the SLECI Irrigation technology in Portugal and Morocco). That mega event allowed HUSD to showcase the innovative solution of the low-cost, low-energy and nature-based “Instream Constructed Wetland” model addressing water challenges and climate change in the Mediterranean. Such innovations aim to conserve water, improve irrigation efficiency and tackle water scarcity (climate-resilient agriculture). The marketplace offered meaningful exchanges with international partners. HUSD’s team discussed potential collaborations with stakeholders who are interested in new research projects, which will help further amplify the impact of the Med-Wet project. The conversations done with promising future partners underscored the importance of cross-border cooperation and innovation in addressing complex environmental challenges, on the top of them “water scarcity and climate change”. [:]

[:en]Announcement: Heliopolis University Low Carbon Energy Report Released![:]

[:en]Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development is proud to announce the release of our latest report on Low Carbon Energy Usage across campus! This report highlights our commitment to a greener future by measuring the amount of low-carbon energy utilized in our operations. Through this analysis, we’re taking bold steps toward sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint. Key Highlights: A detailed breakdown of renewable energy sources powering our campus Insights on energy efficiency improvements across our facilities Actionable goals for expanding clean energy use in the coming years Together, we’re paving the way for a more sustainable and energy-efficient future. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this report possible! Stay tuned for more updates as we continue working towards a 100% low-carbon campus! #HeliopolisUniversity #SustainableFuture #LowCarbonEnergy #CleanEnergy See the report here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/122aDtID_M3wxZSzZnKuzx-VcHolUbxh5/view?usp=sharing[:]