Egypt is overhauling its agricultural strategy to counter growing threats from climate change, water scarcity and soil salinity, placing technology and data-driven farming at the centre of efforts to boost output and ensure long-term sustainability, Agriculture Minister Alaa Farouk said Sunday. Shifts in weather patterns have already disrupted planting calendars and crop choices, forcing a rethink of how the sector operates, Farouk said at the fourth Egyptian Women Summit. The government is responding by embedding science and technology into a new national development strategy aimed at stabilising production while raising efficiency. Research centres affiliated with the agriculture ministry are developing climate-resilient crop varieties and seeds to protect yields and limit risk, he said. The plan also prioritises support for small, youth-led agricultural ventures, particularly in the Nile Delta, where land ownership is heavily fragmented. More than 3.2 million feddans are divided into small plots of between nine qirats and two feddans, land that could generate higher returns and support export growth if managed using modern technology and artificial intelligence, Farouk said. A revival of agricultural extension services is a key component of the strategy, with young specialists deployed to fields to provide farmers with practical, science-based advice. The initiative is intended to lift farm incomes while creating jobs for young people, with the ministry's research and extension bodies responsible for training and accreditation. Farouk said the ministry is also accelerating a digital transformation, rolling out technology to simplify agricultural transactions and using mobile platforms to deliver advisory messages directly to farmers. Paper landholding records have been replaced with smart cards linked to landowners' banking data, allowing fertiliser distribution and other transactions to be handled electronically. Satellite technology is being used to match land coordinates with the smart cards, improving the accuracy and fairness of fertiliser distribution, he said. The strategy also promotes the reuse of agricultural waste to produce animal feed and fertilisers, which Farouk described as a low-capital investment opportunity for young entrepreneurs, particularly as agri-tech applications and start-ups help small farms comply with export standards. Internally, the ministry has undergone a broad restructuring, empowering younger staff, introducing modern performance evaluation systems and upgrading laboratories in agriculture and veterinary medicine to improve services for farmers and investors, Farouk said. On financing, banks are now offering loans for livestock production at interest rates of up to 5 per cent, based on national ID cards, with borrowers contributing 25 per cent of project costs and repayment periods extending beyond five years. The scheme is designed to enable small-scale breeders to expand production. Farouk, a former Barclays Bank executive who later worked at the National Bank of Egypt, said his role in restructuring the Agricultural Bank of Egypt between 2020 and 2024 shaped his approach to policy-making. That experience, he said, reinforced the need to link finance, technology and sustainable development in reforming Egypt's farm sector. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English
