FAO regional meeting on the regional initiative “sustainable small scale agriculture for inclusive development”, Prof. Rashad Aboelenein FCRI, ARC – Egypt

1. FAO regional meeting on the regional
initiative “sustainable small scale
agriculture for inclusive
development”
2-3 March, 2015.
Egypt priorities
By
Prof. Rashad Aboelenein
FCRI, ARC – Egypt
rashadaboelenein@yahoo.com

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Agricultural
Holdings
Area of
Agricultural
Holdings (ha(
%
Number of
Agricultural
Holdings
%
Without land 0 0.0 964863 17.9
>1ha 1438504 35.2 3743977 69.3
1-2ha 484534 11.9 329661 6.1
2-3ha 591670 14.5 231329 4.3
4-5ha 314849 7.6 66006 1.2
5-10ha 390488 9.6 48220 0.9
10-20ha 180530 4.4 12027 0.2
<20ha 687990 16.8 8312 0.1
Total 4088565 100.0 5404395 100.0
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

5. • 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.

6. 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.

7. Country priorities in
relation to small scale
in Egypt

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. • 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

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. • 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

22. 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

23. • 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.

24. Thank you