CAIRO, April 4 – Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Abdel Moneim el-Banna, urged on Wednesday the Agriculture Research Centre (ARC) to intensify awareness campaigns in diverse villages and governorates to instruct farmers on the new agricultural techniques and the impacts of climate change. In his statements, el-Banna said this step came within the framework of the ministry's strategy to support farmers through helping them to increase crop productivity, a matter that would, consequently, lead to an increase in their income besides raising their living standards. This would also help increase Egypt's production of crops, especially the strategic ones, for the sake of achieving food security, he added. The minister, meanwhile, stressed that the awareness programmes should enhance the farmers' knowledge of the dangers of climate change, especially those related to agriculture and animal production. The programmes should also acquaint farmers of the required precautionary measures to deal with such changes.