Agricultural innovation is taking root in Egypt, a country that has risen to become the wealthiest in Africa, with a GDP of $1.38 trillion and a population of 102.3 million. The drivers of Egypt’s economy have been gas extractives, agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, media, construction, petroleum imports, and ICT sectors. Land reclamation is one of the pillars in ensuring food security in Egypt, and wastewater treatment will help ensure the reclaimed land’s survival.
Egypt is famed for its pyramids, which have attracted millions of visitors every year. However, this is likely to change as the nation shifts to agriculture in earnest to improve the lives and livelihoods of its citizens. Agriculture is a significant driver of Egypt’s economy, contributing 11.3 percent of the GDP. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has invested heavily in the sector to protect food security in a nation where 96 percent of the land is dry.
Agricultural Development Initiatives
President Al-Sisi’s administration is working towards reducing food imports, and their efforts are proving to be successful. The Haya Karima project, which means Decent Life, is a national endeavor to develop the Egyptian countryside that has driven change in important sectors in the country. The National Project for Developing the Egyptian Countryside is an initiative estimated to cost $1.11 trillion, impacting at least 1,350,366 households.
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The government has launched a series of projects to reignite Egypt’s economy, including the Haya Karima project, which has launched a critical project to produce natural gas and fertilizers for land and livestock farmers. The biogas project facilitators are the Good Life Foundation, the Renewable Energy Foundation, and the International Cooperation Fund to produce natural gas and organic fertilizer from livestock waste.
Reclamation of Agricultural Land
The Egyptian government has been beefing up mega projects to reclaim drylands. For the longest time, the sustainability of agricultural production in Egypt has been tagged to reclaiming land in Egypt, and President Al-Sisi has launched initiatives driven towards the same.
Wastewater Treatment and Canal Lining
President Al-Sisi’s administration intends to tackle that hitch by prioritizing wastewater treatment in Egypt. In December last year, Egypt started the construction of the world’s largest wastewater treatment plant, the $1.14 billion Bahr El Baqar project, located on the eastern side of the Suez Canal, which will produce two billion cubic meters of water annually. The project will help the government to reclaim 400,000 feddans and reduce pollution by a substantial margin.
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The government is currently establishing another $5 billion water treatment plant in the north-western part of the country, which will produce six billion cubic meters of water. The treated water will irrigate reclaimed land in the New Delta region, creating five million jobs. The Ministry will grow strategic crops, including wheat, corn, and vegetables. The Canal Lining Project is estimated to save five million cubic meters in seepage losses, facilitating water distribution and management and reducing water pollution.
For the people most affected by these developments, the expansion of agricultural production and the increased focus on wastewater treatment will likely mean improved access to fresh produce and reduced health risks associated with polluted water.
Egypt has lost over 400,000 acres of agricultural land in 40 years in the fertile lands of the Nile Valley and Delta due to urbanization. The treated water is being distributed to areas without water through the canal lining projects, encouraging farmers to use flood irrigation over modern irrigation methods to save on water loss.
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Poultry Farming and Exportation
Egypt is also becoming a significant player in poultry production in Africa and is currently exporting hatched eggs to Jordan and the UAE. Poultry farming, however, is posing a severe health threat due to poor disposal mechanisms of the dead birds. The government of Egypt has been prioritizing poultry farming as one of the critical pillars to propel food security. The Minister of Agriculture, El-Sayed el-Quseir, noted that the industry employs three million people.
President Al-Sisi’s administration has invested over $6 billion in poultry farming. Improper disposal of dead poultry could transmit pathogenic diseases. The FAO research shows that broiler farmers in Egypt dump more than 29 million dead chickens into the Nile River and other waterways, posing a significant threat to the water used for drinking and irrigation. Composting dead poultry is one of the most viable solutions, which will have several advantages to the millions of households and the 21,000 licensed broiler farms in the country.
Egypt announced the inauguration of hatched eggs exports to the UAE and will provide 126,000 poultry chicken hatching eggs. The head of the livestock and poultry development sector noted that chicken production exceeds the country’s needs, standing at about 1.4 billion annually, adding that this provides room for product exportation. They are also exporting 95,000 hatched eggs to Jordan. The agricultural sector’s future in Egypt looks very promising under President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, who believes the sector can be self-sustainable.
