Egypt is the world’s top grower of dates, producing 1.7 million tons of the fruit per year, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Farmers say their harvests are increasingly threatened by rising temperatures, water shortages and Egypt’s booming population. For VOA, Hamada Elrasam has this photo essay on the ancient practice, with words by Elle Kurancid.
Egyptian Date Farmers Strained by Climate Change
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Palms line the banks of the Mariotia Canal in Cairo, September 4, 2021. (VOA/Hamada Elrasam)
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These rotten dates will be used for livestock feed. Farmers blame the diminished quality of their crops on the double impact of rising temperatures and water shortages. September 4, 2021. (VOA/Hamada Elrasam)
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Scores of palm trees have either been ruined by climate change-related factors or removed for national development projects such as new roads and bridges, September 9, 2021. (VOA/Hamada Elrasam)
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“The average production of each palm used to be 120 kilograms per year,” says Abu Alaa, 54, a date farmer in Cairo, September 4, 2021. "Now, I would call myself lucky if it produced 100 kilograms. … I have debts that I don't know how to cover." (VOA/Hamad