Climate change might have direct impacts on water quantity in Egypt and lead to indirect effects on Mediterranean saltwater intrusion to groundwater, which exposes agriculture to vulnerability. This study investigated impacts of climate change on agriculture, with particular regard to food security and socioeconomy, and quantified the effectiveness of cropping pattern adaptation measures by integrating three mathematical models. The BlueM model was used for hydrological simulations of Nasser Lake under flooding scenarios to predict the water supply from the High Aswan Dam. The water and salinity balance (WB-SAL) model was adopted to estimate the water salinity in the Nile Delta. The simulated results from the BlueM and WB-SAL models were integrated with the agricultural simulation model for Egypt (ASME) to project cropping patterns, food security, and socioeconomy throughout the country. The results showed that future climate change will directly affect the total crop area; crop areas for 13 crop types; the self-sufficiency of wheat, rice, cereal, and maize supplies; and socioeconomic indicators. The proposed cropping pattern adaptation measures focus on fixing the crop areas of rice and orchards and providing half of the population with lentils, maize, onion, vegetables, milk, and meat. The adaptation measures have the potential to promote food security without causing deterioration of the socioeconomic situation. However, water availability has much more significant effects on food security and socioeconomy than cropping pattern adaptation measures do. Accordingly, the country should rationalize water use efficiency and increase water supply.

The salinity tolerance of Javan rusa deer (Cervus timorensis russa) was investigated with seven stags, aged 4.5 years. Animals were offered a medium-quality chaffed lucerne hay and given five different levels of water salinity: (a) control (570 mg/kg of total dissolved salts (TDS)) and (b) 'saline' water with TDS contents of 1000, 3500, 6000 and 8500 mg/kg. Food intake, food digestibility and nitrogen balance were not affected by increasing salt concentration in drinking water, however the drinking water (DW) intake, the total (food plus drinking) water intake and the DW:dry-matter ratio increased with increasing salt concentration. Some deer given water containing 8500 mg TDS per kg showed signs of stress which included large between-day fluctuations in water intake, opening of the orbital gland, head shaking, and rapid breathing. Rusa deer can tolerate drinking water containing 6000 mg TDS per kg for at least 9 days without harmful effect but may be unable to tolerate water with 8500 mg TDS per kg.

Feeding over 9 billion people by the second half of this century will require a major paradigm shift in agricultural systems. Agriculture uses approximately 40 % of the terrestrial surface, is the major user of fresh water resources and contributes 17%of greenhouse gas emissions. In turn, agriculture will be detrimentally affected by climate change in many climatic regions. Impacts of agriculture on ecosystem services include land clearing, loss of forest cover and biodiversity, significant soil degradation and water quality decline. Agricultural production will have to increase, even if we can reduce the rate of increase in demand for food. Given the current pressures on natural resources, this will have to be achieved by some form of agricultural intensification that causes less environmental impact. Therefore, it is not just intensification of agriculture, but ‘sustainable intensification’ that must be at the forefront of the paradigmshift. There is also a need to assess the situation holistically, taking into account population growth and resource intensive consumption patterns, improved systems of governance, changing diets and reducing waste. We review how and where natural resources are being placed under increasing pressure and examine the Becological footprint^ of agriculture. Suggested solutions include the application of existing scientific knowledge, implementation of emerging principles for sustainable land and water management and reclamation of salinized land. Encouragement of community action and private sector supply chain and production codes, backed up by improved national and regional governance and regulation also need to be encouraged if we are to see agricultural production become truly sustainable.

In the present investigation, emulsifying potential of galactan exopolysaccharide (EPS) extracted from Weissella confusa KR780676 has been evaluated with various food grade flavours (vanilla, cardamom and pineapple). Concentration of EPS was optimized as 1% with these flavours, in addition to the effect of salinity (NaCl), monovalent ion (KCl) and temperature on emulsion activity (EA), and emulsion stability (ES) was also inspected. Filter paper wetting test exhibited water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) and oil-in-water (o/w) type emulsions. The extent in granule disintegration and the retrogradation process of flavour emulsions were studied with pasting properties. Electron micrography and particle size analysis revealed the morphology and the size of emulsion droplets. Thermal stability of emulsions has found 100% at various temperatures (−20 to 60 °C) for vanilla and pineapple flavour, whereas, it was varying for cardamom as per the temperature disparity. Emulsion stability of vanilla and pineapple flavour was retained as such for various concentrations of NaCl whereas decreased for cardamom in direct proportion. In case of KCl all the three flavours showed greater stability. These emulsifying properties indicate that galactan EPS can be a prospective alternative to commercial biopolymers in food and pharmaceuticals industries.