ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY TO ENCROACH ON AGRICULTURAL LAND AND ITS IMPACT ON FOOD SECURITY OF EGYPT

Abstract

The problem of research is the persistence of the phenomenon of encroachment on agricultural land, despite the existence of agricultural legislation that criminalize this, which led to the continuous decline of the average per capita agricultural land in Egypt, in addition to the continued deterioration of the productivity of agricultural land, which will affect the rates of self-reliance in the provision of goods Strategic food to achieve food security in Egypt, as well as impact on net agricultural income, and exacerbate the problem of unemployment in rural areas, if the situation continues. The study aimed at assessing the impact of agricultural land on food security in Egypt and proposing methods to reduce the spread of agricultural land in Egypt to increase agricultural production at the national level, thereby increasing the self-sufficiency rates of agricultural commodities and reducing the deficit in the trade balance, and to reduce the problem of unemployment among rural people, The research used descriptive analysis to achieve the research objective. The results of the research showed that the total area of agricultural land that was attacked during the period (1983 - 2018) amounted to about 318,5 thousand feddans, and the total loss of quality in agricultural lands due to the decline in productivity about 658,7 thousand acres. The results indicated that the most important reasons for the encroachment on agricultural land in Egypt are the increase in the number of rural households, the decrease in the value of building fines on farmland, the exceptions to the ban on construction on agricultural land, Encouraging their owners to turn them into non-farm activities, allowing the delivery of facilities to the offending buildings on farmland, and the limited phenomenon of renting residential buildings in rural areas. The study recommended increasing the minimum building fines on farmland to be more effective and effective in reducing the encroachment on farmland, not allowing the facilities to be connected to the buildings erected on the farmland, and expanding the reclamation of agricultural lands in light of the current water resources and irrigation development projects, And continue projects to improve and maintain agricultural land to reduce the qualitative deterioration in agricultural land and achieve a higher degree of dependence on domestic production to achieve food security in Egypt,