Tuesday 28/October/2025 – 09:11 AM
A joint ministerial meeting was held between Dr. Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development and Acting Minister of Environment, Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, and Dr. Hani Sweilem, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, to discuss the impact of climate change on food security in Egypt, with the participation of a number of ministries and concerned authorities.
At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Manal Awad welcomed Dr. Hani Sweilem, Mr. Alaa Farouk, and the attendees, stressing that the goal of the meeting is coordination and consultation among the relevant authorities in implementing an integrated national vision to confront the impact of climate change on food security, within the framework of the directives of the political leadership, so that the necessary measures to enhance food security in Egypt are agreed upon in light of the efforts made and future plans.
Dr. Manal Awad stressed the need to coordinate efforts among the various parties concerned to discuss studies related to the impact of climate change on food security, within the framework of the National Council for Climate Change, which includes various ministries and stakeholders, and meetings held between the ministries concerned with the sectors of agriculture, higher education, water, housing, and the environment to develop proposals for the ministerial group and a timetable for the proposed actions and the future plan for each sector, And the challenges it faces in the areas of adaptation and mitigation.
Dr. Manal Awad reviewed the Ministry of Environment’s proposals to improve the chances of achieving food security in Egypt, including working on the availability of basic information, including meteorological data, land uses, distribution of crops and livestock, and risks with a high degree of accuracy for a period of 6-8 months, and encouraging scientific research and training programs to be able to comply with expected changes, in addition to the contribution of agricultural policies in identifying and distributing varieties, and changing lifestyle. Rehabilitating farmers, directing attention to continuous improvement in agricultural productivity, social matters, and the development of rural communities, and paying attention to health status, education, and women as a real effective measure to adapt to climate change.
Minister of Agriculture: There is a pivotal role for the Ministry in the framework of integrating the efforts of research centers and international financing institutions, to reach farmers
The Minister of Local Development and Acting Minister of the Environment also indicated work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions mainly from the agricultural and forestry sector. Animal manure processing; Flood cultivation of rice; agricultural soil management; Burning agricultural waste in the fields, developing the performance of agricultural extension devices, using many traditional technologies to distribute risks, investing in the development of agricultural sciences and technologies to meet global demand, and neutralizing the impact of climate change, in addition to investing in improving irrigation methods, agricultural mechanization, and road networks so that marketing opportunities can be improved and its costs reduced, and building a network of cooperation between all stakeholders at the level. National and international, providing financing for agricultural production requirements (seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, seasonal labor) through soft loans, and implementing effective programs to protect food security, including breeding programs; And good seeds; Reducing tillage rates; And good fertilization; Plant protection programmes; And marketing, as well as the existence of an insurance system against the risks of climate change and its impact on farms to provide financing for the family’s food needs in the event of a deterioration in productivity due to the impact of sudden climatic conditions on productivity.
For his part, Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, stressed the importance of presenting the activities and projects already implemented on the ground, and not just issuing recommendations and proposals, stressing that the current stage requires preparing a clear implementation plan that reflects existing efforts and determines upcoming work priorities, noting that unifying efforts and coordination among concerned parties represent the cornerstone of confronting the effects of climate change on the agricultural sector and enhancing food security. National.
Farouk stressed the importance of the pivotal role played by the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, within the framework of integrating the efforts of all concerned parties, from specialized research centers and international financing institutions, all the way to farmers, pointing out that this includes adopting and expanding the scope of climate-smart agricultural practices, such as developing new plant and animal strains and hybrids that are more tolerant of drought, salinity, and high temperature, and applying modern irrigation systems. And improved projects to increase the efficiency of use of water resources. These are projects whose results on the ground are reflected in increasing the flexibility of the agricultural sector and its ability to sustain production in the face of escalating climate challenges.
For his part, Dr. Hani Sweilem, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, pointed to the major projects and successful policies undertaken by the Ministry over the past years in the field of enhancing the water system’s ability to deal with the negative impacts of climate change on the water sector.
His Excellency pointed to the expansion of the Egyptian state in the treatment and reuse of agricultural wastewater, and the Ministry’s development of all elements of the water system, including canals, drains, lifting stations, and water facilities, to increase the ability of this system to deal effectively and flexibly with any changes or emergencies, and the implementation of projects to protect against the dangers of floods and rainwater harvesting, and the expansion of the preparation of digital applications, the number of which has so far reached (27) applications in the fields of Diverse, relying on satellite images, aerial drone photography, and mathematical models in water management, and implementing a smart irrigation project in cooperation with Spain.
Dr. Sweilem stressed the necessity of preparing a future implementation plan with a specific timetable to complete the successes achieved during the last period, noting the importance of this plan including expanding the establishment of water desalination plants using solar and wind energy, implementing decentralized treatment plants to treat agricultural wastewater along the network of agricultural drains, continuing to implement projects to protect against the dangers of floods and harvesting rainwater in areas exposed to floods, and connecting stations. Meteorology in the agricultural system to activate early warning against heat waves and drought, develop smart applications for irrigation, work to build farmers’ capabilities to use smart irrigation systems in the future, continue careful monitoring of groundwater reservoirs to achieve rational management of them and prevent overdrawing from them, implement a system to monitor water quality through digital networks, prepare a map of crop composition according to climate zones, and launch national media campaigns about Food and water security.
During the meeting, the effects of climate change on food security in Egypt, the vital role of agriculture, livestock and water in food security and the national economy, the most important laws, regulations, policies and strategies in the agricultural and water sectors, the national biodiversity strategy, emissions from the agriculture and forestry sector and land use, adaptation projects in the agriculture sector and the efforts implemented through the National Adaptation Plan and the Contributions Plan were reviewed. Nationalism.
The participating ministries reviewed their proposals on the way towards enhancing food security in Egypt and confronting various challenges, and the various recommendations of the specialized technical working group, where it was agreed to hold another meeting that reviews each sector’s plan, the implemented measures, the timetable for future measures, and mechanisms for confronting the challenges of climate change.
