Farmers often use pesticides to protect their crops from pests, potentially leaving residues on the food that reaches our tables. According to UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) statistics, in 1997 the value of the pesticide trade in Egypt was $87.81 million in imports and $1.69 million for exports. In 2012, these numbers had increased to $155.40 million and $20.92 million, respectively. Efforts have been made to reduce the use of chemical pesticides, some of them described by Samir Sedki, Programme Director at the Agriculture and Natural Resources Department of the NGO Care Egypt. “Five years ago we started a project named Safe financed by the EU and in coordination with Care Austria in the three governorates of Fayoum, Qena and Sohag,” he said. “We found that farmers use a huge amount of insecticides or fungicides for their crops, and that they also use more fertiliser than they need.” As a result, project workers taught farmers how to reduce the use of pesticides by better monitoring their crops and alternative methods of dealing with pests, including the use of predatory insects. Planting herbs or plants next to the crops can also help reduce pests, Sedki said, adding that one of the main emphases was on awareness. “We provided farmers with lists of approved pesticides. We also organised workshops for dealers in an effort to raise awareness about pesticides that are banned internationally. We taught farmers the precautions they should take if they have to use pesticides, such as wearing special clothes, gloves and masks while spraying. In general, the use of pesticides has decreased in Egypt due to the increasing awareness of farmers, along with the growth of other methods to prevent pests and the rising costs of pesticides.” “We have been working in Sohag, as well as in Fayoum, with some 1,500 small farmers who own an average of two to three feddans each. This means that in the project we have helped plant approximately 3,000 feddans without the use of pesticides.” Overall, the aim is to help farmers increase their yields without damaging the soil or water and to promote recycling. “We have helped them use the waste from their farms, for example by making fertiliser out of it that is much cheaper than the ones they buy,” Sedki added. The project also aims to conserve resources like water. “We teach other methods of planting, like linear methods that save water and preserve the richness of the soil. Another technique we have taught is reinforcing irrigation canals to prevent water being lost. This has saved about 20 per cent of the water that was otherwise lost or evaporated, and this in turn means that more land can be planted.” According to Sedki, the project financed part of the work while the farmers and a well-known phone company financed the rest. Care Egypt has been working in Egypt since 1954, when it worked with fishermen in Bohayret Nasser and Sinai. Today, the organisation works both on short-term projects of one or two years and longer ten to 15-year programmes. “Care Egypt co-operates with the Ministries of Agriculture and Irrigation and Social Solidarity,” Sedki notes, “including by helping farmers to link up directly with exporters. We study the needs of farmers and base our programmes and projects on such research.” The organisation has four main programmes, including on women's issues, education and good governance. The latter aims to show how good governance can build responsibility at local level and in agricultural organisations that deal with farmers. “We want to help farmers claim their rights and question those responsible for local organisations,” Sedki notes. “We do not give farmers everything, but instead help build capacities by giving instruction and information. We give farmers the chance to financially participate in projects, in some cases by up to 50 per cent, so that they can feel they have a stake in them.” It is planning similar projects that aim at helping farmers, including a water and stability project in co-operation with the ministry of irrigation. “We have a project that seeks to build empowerment, and there are water projects in Jordan, Palestine, Yemen and Egypt, also in co-operation with the ministry of irrigation. We are currently planning a project dealing with climate change,” Sedki says. The organisation has participated in many seminars in Egypt, including the Farm to Fork Conference held in Cairo in May to help raise awareness of agricultural projects. Agricultural engineer Raafat Abdel-Hamid, himself a small landowner and secretary of the Agricultural Society in Sohag, describes how he got involved with Care Egypt. “At first, we were invited by Care Egypt to observe the farms they were planting with organic plants and without the use of chemicals in Sekem and Ismailia. We really liked the idea, and it was very easy to implement as some farmers rarely used insecticides anyway. Care Egypt helped us communicate with the pilot farms, helping us to learn the know-how of planting without chemicals and new methods of planting. They also helped us to get the European Food Safety (GAP) certificate which certifies organic crops. Despite the crops being fewer in quantity, their quality was higher and they brought in more money. Care Egypt also helped us sign contracts with buyers.” For Abdel-Hamid, farmers' needs are straightforward. “We need markets that are near to farms so that we do not have to pay a lot of money for transport. Organic crops are often unaffordable in local markets, so we need to reach people who appreciate organic food. For example, organic green beans are LE5 while ordinary ones are LE2, which is a considerable premium. We have seen cases of merchants breaching contracts, and Care Egypt's help in drafting contracts has also been invaluable,” he said.
