Climate Change, Agriculture and Rural Communities’ …
547
The Agricultural Research Center (ARC),
16 although its budget has increased from
0.42 to 0.44 of agricultural GDP between 2009 and 2012, the increase was mostly
due to the increase in staffing (i.e. salaries). Furthermore, the hired researchers are
not efficiently distributed across disciplines and/or across the governorates [65].
The public agricultural extension sector in Egypt is composed of three levels: i)
the central level extension staff at the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation
(MALR) with their subject matter specialists who provide the technical support to the
ii) district level extension staff, who in turn support iii) the village extension workers
(VEW). The latter is the closest to farmers—most of them reside in the villages—and
are affiliated to village agricultural cooperatives. The VEW can be affiliated to one
of two types of agricultural cooperatives: credit, and agrarian reform cooperatives
17
(see Table 8 in Annex for Agricultural Cooperatives’ Types: inlcuding land area and
farmers/ landowners’ numbers). The credit cooperatives are present in almost all
villages in the Nile Delta governorates. These oversee about 70% of the agricultural
land, and comprise about 80% of the farmers in the Nile Delta governorates as
members, while the agrarian reform and land reclamation cooperatives encompass
the remaining 20% of farmers and 30% of the land [12, 66].
In the Nile Delta governorates, the average agricultural land area by credit cooperative is about 1900 feddan. The largest area per credit cooperative is in Ismailia and
Alexandria with about 4300 feddan and 3800 feddan respectively, while the smallest
average area is in Qalyubia and Gharbia with about 900 and 1000 feddan respectively. On average one VEW is responsible for about 800 feddan [12]. Dividing the
average area per cooperative per governorate by 800 feddan would mean that the
average number of VEW per credit cooperative in the Nile Delta governorates is 2
workers. Dividing 800 feddan by the average landownership per governorate shows
that on average, one VEW is responsible for about 510 farmers in the Nile Delta
governorates.
Agricultural cooperatives were established as an arm of the Ministry of Agriculture to guide and supervise farmers’ agricultural production [67].
18 However, since
the late 1980s, the agricultural liberalization has stripped agricultural cooperatives
of most of their functions, by the abolishment of the compulsory crop rotation and
its replacement with the guided crop rotation that enables every farmer to cultivate
what he wants, and leaving small individual farmers subject to market forces. This
has weakened the cooperatives’ role as a means of enabling small farmers to benefit
from the economies of scale [68, 69].
In the absence of strong associative structures, the VEW would have to provide
individual farmers with information on climate change adaptation measures, which
16 The Agricultural Research Center (ARC) was established in the 1970s—as part of the organigram
of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation—to be responsible for increasing agricultural
productivity (crop yields).
17 The agrarian reform cooperatives were formed to supervise the land that was confiscated from
big landlords and distributed to small farmers in the 1950s and 1960 s, while the land reclamation
cooperatives were formed to support farmers in the reclaimed areas.
18 This is supposedly done through providing farmers with agriculture inputs, such as seeds,
fertilizers and pesticides, machines, access to loans as well as market farmers crops.
547
The Agricultural Research Center (ARC),
16 although its budget has increased from
0.42 to 0.44 of agricultural GDP between 2009 and 2012, the increase was mostly
due to the increase in staffing (i.e. salaries). Furthermore, the hired researchers are
not efficiently distributed across disciplines and/or across the governorates [65].
The public agricultural extension sector in Egypt is composed of three levels: i)
the central level extension staff at the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation
(MALR) with their subject matter specialists who provide the technical support to the
ii) district level extension staff, who in turn support iii) the village extension workers
(VEW). The latter is the closest to farmers—most of them reside in the villages—and
are affiliated to village agricultural cooperatives. The VEW can be affiliated to one
of two types of agricultural cooperatives: credit, and agrarian reform cooperatives
17
(see Table 8 in Annex for Agricultural Cooperatives’ Types: inlcuding land area and
farmers/ landowners’ numbers). The credit cooperatives are present in almost all
villages in the Nile Delta governorates. These oversee about 70% of the agricultural
land, and comprise about 80% of the farmers in the Nile Delta governorates as
members, while the agrarian reform and land reclamation cooperatives encompass
the remaining 20% of farmers and 30% of the land [12, 66].
In the Nile Delta governorates, the average agricultural land area by credit cooperative is about 1900 feddan. The largest area per credit cooperative is in Ismailia and
Alexandria with about 4300 feddan and 3800 feddan respectively, while the smallest
average area is in Qalyubia and Gharbia with about 900 and 1000 feddan respectively. On average one VEW is responsible for about 800 feddan [12]. Dividing the
average area per cooperative per governorate by 800 feddan would mean that the
average number of VEW per credit cooperative in the Nile Delta governorates is 2
workers. Dividing 800 feddan by the average landownership per governorate shows
that on average, one VEW is responsible for about 510 farmers in the Nile Delta
governorates.
Agricultural cooperatives were established as an arm of the Ministry of Agriculture to guide and supervise farmers’ agricultural production [67].
18 However, since
the late 1980s, the agricultural liberalization has stripped agricultural cooperatives
of most of their functions, by the abolishment of the compulsory crop rotation and
its replacement with the guided crop rotation that enables every farmer to cultivate
what he wants, and leaving small individual farmers subject to market forces. This
has weakened the cooperatives’ role as a means of enabling small farmers to benefit
from the economies of scale [68, 69].
In the absence of strong associative structures, the VEW would have to provide
individual farmers with information on climate change adaptation measures, which
16 The Agricultural Research Center (ARC) was established in the 1970s—as part of the organigram
of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation—to be responsible for increasing agricultural
productivity (crop yields).
17 The agrarian reform cooperatives were formed to supervise the land that was confiscated from
big landlords and distributed to small farmers in the 1950s and 1960 s, while the land reclamation
cooperatives were formed to support farmers in the reclaimed areas.
18 This is supposedly done through providing farmers with agriculture inputs, such as seeds,
fertilizers and pesticides, machines, access to loans as well as market farmers crops.