Definition of protected agriculture

It means producing them in special facilities called greenhouses for the purpose of protecting them from unfavorable weather conditions, to enable their production out of season, and vegetables are provided inside these greenhouses with environmental conditions that suit their vegetative and fruitful growth in terms of temperature and lighting intensity, and all environmental factors are controlled and modified inside the greenhouse to suit plant growth in order to reach the largest possible amount of crop

Protected agriculture is a specialized branch of vegetable production that differs in its production from open agriculture in terms of production methods

Purpose of protected agriculture

1- Producing vegetables out of season

2- Protecting crops from unfavorable weather conditions

3- Protection from insect pests spread outside the greenhouse

4- Vertical expansion in vegetable production by taking advantage of agricultural hybrids, as all environmental conditions suitable for production are provided inside greenhouses to obtain the largest amount of crop for these varieties

Economics of protected agriculture

Cost of vegetable production In protected agriculture, it is high due to the huge capital invested, and the cost and economic return depend on the following:

1- The number of greenhouses that are operated at the same time, of course, the more greenhouses, the lower the production costs per unit area.

2- The size of the greenhouses used, the larger the size, the lower the production costs per unit area.

3- The type of structure from which the greenhouse is made (wood – galvanized water pipes – iron – aluminum) and they are arranged from cheapest to most expensive.

4- Type of cover used (plastic sheets – perforated black seraan – fiberglass – glass…)

5- Availability of cooling and heating devices and the extent of their need

6- Crops and varieties grown

7- Production season and the extent of competition that the product receives from open crops

8- The extent of demand for the produced crop from foreign markets for export

Therefore, Makani Company for Investment and Agricultural Development supplies and installs all types of greenhouses, plants them and supervises them until production.