FAO regional meeting on the regional initiative “sustainable small scale

agriculture for inclusive development”2-3 March, 2015.

Egypt prioritiesBy

Prof. Rashad AboeleneinFCRI, ARC – Egypt

rashadaboelenein@yahoo.com

Introduction

Characteristics of farming system• Population is about 85,8 million inhabitants in 2014. • Rural population 57.2 % in 2015.• Agricultural sector represents only 13.3 % of the GDP

and 28% of the Labour force being about 24 million people (19 million males & 5 million females).

• Cultivated area about 3.7 million ha. In 2013 – cropped area about 6.51 million ha. Cropping intensity about 173%.

• Limited Nile water resources ( 55.5 Billion m3 annually/year) can not meet the increasing demand and the annual increase in population being 1.5 -2% annually.

Typology of Agricultural Holding in Egypt• The majority of agricultural holdings were of

small size.• About 47 percent of agricultural holdings did

not exceed two hectares while about 14.5 percent of agricultural holdings were of size ranging between two and three hectares (MALR, 2014).

• More than 62 % of the agricultural output comes from agricultural holdings with less than one to three hectares under cropping.

Agricultural Holdings

Area of Agricultural Holdings

(ha)

%Number of

Agricultural Holdings

%

Without land00.096486317.9

<1 ha143850435.2374397769.3

1-2 ha48453411.93296616.1

2-3 ha59167014.52313294.3

4-5 ha3148497.6660061.2

5-10 ha3904889.6482200.9

10-20 ha1805304.4120270.2

>20 ha68799016.883120.1

Total4088565100.05404395100.0

Table 1. Typology of Agricultural Holdings in Egypt for 2010.

Feddan is a unit, used in Egypt to represent area/land mass and one feddan is equal to 0.46 hectare

• An Overview of Agricultural Sector in Egypt: indicates that for many centuries, agriculture has remained one of the major sectors of the Egyptian economy.

• As most of the agricultural land are owned by small farmer’s Egyptian agricultural under much stress and the farming sector need to make certain changes and adjustment in the production system to be sustainable.

• Plant and livestock production suffers several weakness and faces many threats.

The prominent threats to the agricultural system

• Growing population, water limitations, little use of modern farming technologies, low farm mechanization, and the division of land into small farming units.

• There is a need for a suitable strategy at the farm level placing high emphasis to popularize and adoption of the concepts and principles of sustainable agriculture is needed under small farmer conditions.

Country priorities in relation to small scale in

Egypt

1. Better management of land and water resources as related to agricultural and rural development.

Offered should be made to increase efficiency of using land and water resources to maximize to production of food to enhance food security and improving livelihoods in rural areas, efforts should be made towards educational programs, efficient utilization of economic incentives and the development of appropriate and new technologies. Such efforts will ensure stable supplies of nutritionally adequate food, employment and income generation to alleviate poverty, and protect natural resources and environment as well.

2. How to better deal with the fragmented holding of the small farmer.

• Old and traditional cultivation methods are still in practice, resulting lower yields than can be realized on new lands by employing advanced modern scientific principles, new cultivation techniques and better farming practices.

• More effective role for the agriculture cooperatives is needed to counter the effect of land fragmentation.

3. Post harvest problems.

• The need to better manage the post harvest material from crops. This can be used in many ways to make use of crop residues being a bout 30 million ton.

• This can contribute to filling the gap in the feed sector as well as organic fertilizers, also many by products can be produced from the post harvest material.

4 .Reduce losses from crops, vegetables and fruits.

• Losses from crops can up to 20% and for vegetables and fruits ranging from 30-50%.

• Need to adopt and disseminate storage facilities that fits the small farmer as India for example.

5 .Agro industry unit

• To increase the value of vegetable and fruits and generate labor and additional income in the small farmer.

• Its needed to develop and disseminate units of agro industry that fits small farmer’s conditions as in India for example. This will reduce the losses in vegetables and fruits and improve the livelihood in the small farmer.

6 .Input supply

• Ensuring good supply having good quality from seed, pesticides as well as fertilizer with good prizes is needed.

• This can be facilitated by active role of the agricultural cooperatives.

7 .Agricultural machinery for the small farmer

• Developing farm machinery for the small farmer conditions is needed to improve the agricultural practices.

• This will increase yield and land use efficiency.

• In cooperation with machinery workshops in the villages more jobs can be created.

8 .Improved Marketing chains

• Its major priority to develop marketing change for the crops and vegetables and fruits to increase farmer income and reduce losses.

• This can be organized with the agricultural cooperatives and private sector organizations.

9 .Improve the role of women farmer’s

• Women in poor families and in rural areas, account for 70% of the total poor in Egypt, especially those who are forced to live inferior lives due to the double discrimination of poverty and discrimination against women. Women, as an active labor force in the rural areas, suffer the most because of illiteracy, poor nutrition, poor health, high birth-rates and unacknowledged labor.

• There is the need to develop educational programs to increase the kills of women, improve there living conditions.

• Developing some agro business for the women can help.

10 .Upgrading crop livestock production system

• Small farmer agricultural production is characterizes by integrated crop livestock production system.

• This system depends on improved local breeds and husbandry techniques.

• Livestock population in 2005 is comprised of about 4.5 million heads of cattle, 3.9 million heads of buffaloes, 5.2 million heads of sheep, 3.8 million heads of goats, 0.14 million heads of camels and 1.5 million heads of equines.

• The average livestock holding is estimated at 5.4 animals per hectare.

• Since major part of the livestock production is owned by small farmers especial considerations should be given to improving the system.

• Rural poultry sector is principally a back-yard system and contributes a significant proportion to the poultry production in Egypt. However, commercial sector is characterized by being highly specialized.

• In 2005, poultry population of the commercial sector is comprised of about 605.0 million broilers, 103.0 million layers, 5.6 million ducks, 853 thousand turkeys and 464 thousand rabbits whereas; geese and pigeons are raised in the rural sector only. Rural sector reached about 99 4305 000 broilers and 1.2 billion eggs.

• There is a great need to improve the back-yard system of poultry production as far as diseases and maintainace. This will improve farmer income and create more job especially for women.

11 .Poultry production improvement under small farmer conditions

12 .Fish production improvement

• Based on studies of official statistics conducted by the General Authority for Fish Resources Development, fish production in Egypt could be classified into two main broad categories:

1) Capture fisheries or natural resources sector and 2) Aquaculture or fish cultures sector.

The aquatic resource base in Egypt is extensive and includes fresh, brackish and marine waters.Local fish production achieved a great leap since the 1980s where the production doubled from 344.65 to reach 724.41 and 889.30 thousand MT in 2000 and 2005 respectively.

• This increase in fish production refers to the increase of quantities produced from fish culture.

• However, this increase of quantities produced by fish culture is accompanied with a decrease in quantities produced from natural resources or capture fisheries.

• There is great potential to improve fish production as this involves improvement of the poor fisher men working in various lacks and sea shores.

13 .Strengthen the agricultural extension system and capacity building

• Its needles to state the problems facing technology disseminations.

• The Extension system plays a very significant role in enhancing agricultural production in Egypt.

• Despite, its good work on occasions, it is constrained by several issues and problems, limiting its efficiency and effectiveness.

• Extensions workers lack transport facilities and have low incomes. Poor and uncomfortable working conditions and harsh environment certainly lower the already low motivational level of many Extension workers. Therefore, better facilities, suitable rewards, achievable targets and increased budgets are needed to provide Extensions in areas where they are facing shortage, especially remote areas.

• There is a need to form a group of able professionals capable of providing assistance and to train the Extension workers on the implementation of participatory approach.

• Upgrade the training at various level especially small farmer.

• Attaching especial attention to women and rural youth as major components in the farming labor force

Concluding remarks• Priorities to have sustainable improved

production under small farmer conditions can include

• Improve management of water land and crop resources using good agriculture practices pack and support by the extension and farming community

• Promote agro processing and small scale projects to enhance the economic value of agricultural products

• Farmer are provided by financial assistance and technical help to improve their production and create more jobs.

• Activate the role of agricultural cooperatives to overcome the ownership land fragmentation and facilitate marketing.

• Developed technologies for reducing losses and developed agro industry adapted for small farmer.

• Improve input supply from seeds, fertilizers and pesticides.

• Better use crop residues and post harvest material.• Small mechanizations farming equipments.• Upgrade extension and capacity building program.

Thank you