Give an account of irrigation agriculture in the Nile Basin under the following headings (a) need for irrigation (b) areas (c) methods (d) crops growth (e) ...

Irrigation agriculture in the Nile Basin

(a) Need for irrigation

• Egypt and northern Sudan lie in a hot desert climate with very little or no rainfall, so crops cannot grow on natural rain alone.
• The high temperatures cause heavy evaporation, so water must be supplied artificially and continuously.
• Irrigation from the Nile allows farming all year round and makes it possible to feed the dense valley population.

(b) Areas

• The Nile valley and delta in Egypt (from Aswan to Cairo and the delta around Alexandria).
• The Gezira plain in Sudan, between the Blue and White Niles near Khartoum.
• Land along the Blue Nile and around Lake Nasser above the Aswan High Dam.

(c) Methods

• Basin irrigation: the older method of trapping the annual floodwater in basins to soak the land (now largely replaced).
• Perennial (canal) irrigation: water stored by dams such as the Aswan High Dam is led all year through a network of canals to the fields.
• Lift methods: water is raised from the river or canals using the shaduf, the Archimedean screw, the water wheel (sakia) and modern motor pumps.

(d) Crops grown

• Cotton (the leading cash crop of Egypt and the Gezira), sugar cane, rice, wheat, maize, millet, dates and vegetables.

(e) Importance

• Provides food for the dense population and raw material (cotton) for industry.
• Earns foreign exchange from the export of cotton and other produce.
• Provides employment for millions of farmers and supports settlement in an otherwise desert land.
• The dams also supply hydroelectric power and control flooding, aiding overall development.