Introduction
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Egypt is classified as one of the most vulnerable countries to the adverse impacts of climate change, despite contributing a mere 0.61% to global greenhouse gas emissions. Driven by escalating global industrial activity and carbon emissions, climate change poses severe threats to various vital sectors, most notably agriculture.
While Egypt’s National Strategy for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction addresses multiple key sectors, the direct impact on plant health, plant pathology, and pest control requires deeper scientific attention. Shifting temperatures and altered weather patterns are actively reshaping the phytopathological landscape—altering the geographical distribution of pathogens and their vectors, and driving the emergence of novel plant epidemics that threaten agricultural production and food security.
Recognizing these challenges, the Egyptian Phytopathological Society, in collaboration with the Plant Pathology Research Institute and Egyptian universities—under the auspices of the President of the Agricultural Research Center (ARC) and with support from private sector research partners—organized this scientific seminar. The event aims to highlight the nexus between climate change and plant disease dynamics, map pathogen spread and establishment across Egypt, and formulate sustainable strategies to mitigate these impacts.