Environment and Economy of Kuwait :: Geography

Environment and Economy of capital of capital of Kuwait Kuwait is not self-sufficient in agriculture exclusively the country will bein the future. Its production of grains, vegetables and fruit grown in theoasis of Jahra and scattered smallholdings is not sufficient for thepopulations needs, due to limitations of water supply, ample soil,climate and manpower. Much of its food needs to be imported but governmentinvestment and the work of the Kuwait Experimental farm have direct toimprovements whereby existing resources are more efficiently utilized. Kuwait is a small arid desert land of about 6200 square miles. Thereis virtually no natural source of fresh water. Climatic conditions entailoccasional high winds and dust storms, little or no rainfall, and summertemperatures as high as 120F. Consequently, arable land amounts to lessthan 9% of total acreage.1 Soil deficiencies and the intense heat andsunlight allow continued cultivation tho by expensive underground pipe-fedirri gation or by hydroponics. Ordinary irrigation under these conditionsresults in gradually increasing soil salinity. this phenomenon has been thecause of the estimated 1% annual descend in arable land for the region asa whole. Hence, development of traditional agriculture is severelyrestricted. Kuwaitis are under no illusion that self-direction will take lessthan 20 to 30 years to attain and even then it cannot include such items asbeef and cereals. For Kuwait cereal production is considered too expensiveand unnecessary. Self-sufficiency in domestic fowl, vegetables and fruit is avisible goal already Kuwait produces 60% of the eggs it needs, 40% of thepoultry meat and 100% of the tomatoes. The next emphasis is likely to be ondairy farming and animal husbandry to increase the 25% of the required take outsupplies that is produced in the country. The Kuwaitis are very consciousof the fact that urban growth and the hunting of animals which used to livein the desert has meant the vi rtual extinction of wildlife. Kuwait isimporting from many countries animals such as cows, chickens and sheep. In view of Kuwaits extremely unpromising natural environment whichwas made even worse after the Persian Gulf War, the key to all its hopesfor self-sufficiency lies in research and experiments. Their experimentalfarm research farmOmariya, the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Researchand the Kuwait Fund for the Advancement of Sciences are engaged in avariety of projects concerned with the hybridization of plants, animalbreeding, the increase of yields in desert conditions, the treatment of unpalatable water and effluent water, irrigation methods, etc.