Cairo University
Faculty of Agriculture
Food Processing
Contemporary International Issues (FPT 217)
European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS)
(First Term)
Nov. 2025 - Jan. 2026
Course Description:
This course examines the global challenges affecting food production, focusing on current issues (Food Security) that illustrate these challenges. Students will investigate a range of topics including earthquakes, climate change, water scarcity, energy, and environmental aspects, regional disparities in the ability to meet basic human needs, and protection of the natural environment in an attempt to help students to appreciate the natural resources, to provide them with some historical perspective on the present status of the planetary environment; to give students opportunities to analyze specific environmental quality issues and to familiarize them with the ideas and practices of managing resources and environments according to the principles of sustainable development.
Grading
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Exam (Dec. 08, 2025) ..........................................................… 20%
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Oral Exam (Dec. 29, 2025) ....................................................... 10%
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Term paper (Dec. 29, 2025) …............................…..............…. 20% (How to write a term paper?)
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Final Exam …………..........................................................….. 50%
Course Notes in pdf (Download)
INTRODUCTION
1. Climate Change (variation): (presentation in pdf) (Video)
1.1 Causes, evidence
1.2 Greenhouse effect
1.3 Global warming
1.4 Sea-level rise
2. Plate tectonics, Earthquakes, Tsunami
2.1 Plate tectonics
Origin of Earth, Earth cross section, Types of plate boundaries
2.2 Earthquakes
Forces, Seismic waves, Magnitude, Seismograph, Distribution
2.3 Tsunami
3. Water Issues:
3.1 Global water balance. Water scarcity (presentation in pdf) (Video)
3.2 Water resources in Egypt, Nile water balance (presentation in pdf) (Video)
4. Transboundary issue in the Nile Basin: (presentaion in pdf) (Video)
2.1 Water challenges in Ethiopia
2.2 Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and water treaties
5. Desertification and Energy issues:
3.1 Drought, Potential Evapotranspiration, deforestation, overgrazing, urbanization.
3.2 Sand dune encroachment.
3.3 Non-renewable energy resources (fossil oil, natural gas, coal, uranium).
3.4 Renewable energy resources (solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectricity, biomass, biofuels, nuclear
power).
6. REVIEW
Last updated Dec. 12, 2025