When political leaders, climate scientists and campaigners gather for the UN COP27 climate change meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, one particular consequence of global warming will be thrown into focus: water insecurity.
Egypt is vulnerable to drought, but at present ranks as the most water secure nation on the African continent. In part, this is due to the abundance of water brought into the country by the River Nile, and a nationwide plan to improve access to water. But that balance might change, as arid areas of East Africa are expected to experience more frequent droughts in the future.
The effects of longer periods of drought are already being felt in Egypt. "The temperature is ascending and the crop is going to corrupt," says Hosney Mohamed Hussein, who goes by Abdo, as he surveys his tomato crops on his small farm in the Suhag region of Egypt. Abdo, in his 60s, inherited his 20-acre (eight-hectare) farm from his father and grandfather, who have worked this land on the banks of the Nile since 1952.
The Suhag region is becoming increasingly desertified, he says. He used to grow onions but switched to tomatoes to save water.
But climate change is having a number of other effects on his crops. The cultivation season is getting shorter. While previously crops would be sown in August and harvested in June – avoiding the hottest months and allowing for two crops each season – increasing temperatures mean that the end of the agricultural season has moved to the middle of March.
Temperatures are also spoiling seeds before they even go into the ground and crops are perishing on the vines. Abdo lost a large amount of his tomato crop last year because of an unexpectedly large increase in temperature, he says, adding that the beginning of summer 2021 was extremely hot.