An Information System for Combating Soil Salinity and Alkalinity Hazards (IS-SAH)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Soil and Water Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University, P. O. 63514 El-Fayoum, Egypt

Abstract

Planning for sustainable utilization of agriculture sector depends on possibilities to get accurate and enough information of the studied area. This is rather essential for scientific planning, implementing updated technologies, removing constrains and controlling environmental desertification. Also, it is critically needed to introduce new investments for the agricultural sector aiming to improve and develop new area for optimum agricultural production. Moreover, accurate data of the proposed IS-SAH are urgently needed to face day by day constrains of sustainable agriculture.
Geographic map of the country is divided into horizontal sectors not more than 9 starting from the north direction; each sector is divided into vertical sub-sectors not more than 9 starting from the west. Each sub-sector is divided into horizontal locations not more than 9 starting from north. So, each location is representing by a directory of 3 numerical values starting from 111 and not more than 999. The meaning of the numerical value of each location, starting from the left; first is the number of the sector, second is the number of the sub-sector and third is the number of location. If the location is of wide area, it may be divided into vertical areas starting from the west, each denoted by a character e.g.: A, B, C, …up to Z (i.e. 26 areas), which is added at the right of the location numerical value e.g. 158-A, 228-B…etc. in vertical arrangement starting from the west. On the basis of this grid-system, the locations (and their areas) are cited on a geographic map of the country showing its numerical values and the site of the studied area. On level of different countries, the above details are to be conducted with each country, then the country name is to be added at the left of the numerical value of location and separated by a dash e.g. Egypt-198-G, Saudi-337-H, Sudan-828-D,  …etc.
The directory of each location comprises the following sub-directories:
1-Site details, 2-Soil resources, 3-Water resources, 4-Climatic conditions, 5-vegetative growth, 6-Dynamic strategies and scientific planning, 7-Updating the information unit at intervals, 8-Training and recruiting needs for development,  9-Facilities need for development and 10-Evaluation of Salinity and alkalinity hazards of location. Each of these sub-directories comprises different sub-sub-directories and the concerned files (as needed for the studied location).
All directories of locations and/or area are connected with the (IS-SAH) in harmony with scientific planning for all locations, which will be subjected to updating activities that needed for sustainability and development of the agricultural sector in the studied country or on the level of different countries. As applied example for the IS-SAH, the available inputs of the area denoted as Egypt-353-S are presented and evaluated for combating soil salinity, alkalinity and waterlogging hazards.

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