Regenerative farming and digital tools for salinity control in Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan

We chose several typical regenerative farming practices that are widely adoptable, in this case the use of cover cropping, mulching, trees and improved seed varieties. Subsequently, for six existing farms in Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq we assessed if the selected regenerative agriculture measures could mitigate the effects of salinity, by collecting field data from those farms where one or more of these regenerative measures were implemented. These farms produce mango, tomato, olive, wheat, barley, and potato. The regenerative practices we selected were included as design options in the FTT, while FTT was also fitted with a new module to assess the effects on salinity called the “Suitability to Salinity”, defined as a measure (0-100%) by which a crop can perform its normal physiological functions without being affected by salinity.

The FTT predictions were compared to the field data of the regenerative practices vs. the business-as-usual field data. Several conclusions are drawn; firstly, the regenerative practices did have a positive effect on the crop’s ability to sustain production (yield) under saline conditions. Secondly, field validation data and the FTT show similar positive results on crop performance under saline conditions for regenerative practices for all regenerative practices combined. However, we found that FTT did not consistently predict the outcome of individual practices, and we therefore conclude that the applicability to use FTT on a farm level is currently not advisable for semi-arid regions. FTT requires updating with more scientific data and case study data to boost reliability. The effect on water salinity was currently not determined, and more work is needed to relate differences in water consumption between regenerative and business as usual (BAU) practices, to water salinity.

The FTT can provide valuable insights into how the environment, salinity, and water levels may affect new cultivations and the impact this has on farm economics and climate resilience. The FTT is less suited as a design tool at a farm level, but it does offer perspective on the effects of regenerative practices for larger areas if it has been properly calibrated for the area in question and is used by someone experienced in implementing regenerative agriculture practices. FTT currently does not allow cost-benefit analysis in semi-arid regions, nor the effects of other sustainability indices (e.g. soil fertility) under saline conditions. This requires more data and FTT updating.

Intended follow-up of this project involves field data collection on regenerative practices, updating FTT, and making use of any opportunities to develop capacity among potential users and showcase how regenerative agriculture is a solution for salinity problems and FTT can be used in the process. The projected end goal is that regenerative agriculture practices are seen and proven to be the most effective measure to control and mitigate salinity, and that FTT can be used as a validated tool to predict the effect on salinity of those regenerative practices.