Thursday 02/October/2025 – 04:09 PM
Engineer Margaret Saoufim, Deputy Minister of Social Solidarity, made a field visit to Minya Governorate, in the context of following up the implementation of the project to improve the social and economic situation and food security and empower weak rural communities, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, the National Council for Women, and with the support of the Norwegian government.
The visit included a field tour in the village of Manshaa Al -Maghaqa, affiliated to the Mallawi Center, began by the Deputy Minister of Solidarity, the National Coordinator of the Project, and the attendance at the launch of the Agricultural Business Administration School for Animal Production, and the delivery of productive support packages from livestock heads, to 20 families of the most needy families benefiting from the Takaful and Dignity Program, within the framework of efforts to enhance economic empowerment and improve the standard of living for rural families.
The Deputy Minister of Solidarity, the National Coordinator of the Project, also followed the activities of the Agricultural Business Administration School for persons with deaf and dumb disabilities, to produce sugar cane seedlings, in an experience aimed at integrating people with disabilities into the path of social transformation and sustainable development.
A number of participants with disabilities reviewed the steps, stages of production and cultivation of seedlings, starting with the selection of high -quality seeds, through extraction of buds and cultivation in agricultural greenhouse, to agriculture in the permanent land, explaining that this method contributes to reducing the costs of fertilizers, water and pesticides, and reducing the need for manpower, as well as obtaining higher productivity.
Safimim stressed that agricultural development is the basis for achieving food security, economic stability and sustainable development, noting that dependence on local production reduces the volume of import, and enhances the society’s ability to face crises, adding that agriculture is a source of food, income and job opportunities, praising the efforts made in the project and fruitful cooperation between the government sector, civil society and international organizations, which resulted in the transfer of many modern agricultural practices To increase production and reduce cost, stressing the importance of continuous learning to achieve sustainable development.
On the sidelines of the tour, Safimim held a meeting with Dr. Jacqueline Bibat, representative of the FAO organization in Egypt and Dr. Mohamed Yaqoub, Assistant representative of the Faw, and Professor Majid Paul, Director of the Azazah initiative at the Coptic Evangelical Authority for Social Services, and the accompanying delegation during which the close cooperation between the two sides was emphasized through projects to improve food security, raise the level of small farmers, and enhance sustainable rural development.
The meeting presented a study of mechanisms for cooperation between the two sides within the framework of the Azaza initiative by supporting the project activities, with the initiative aimed at achieving food security and encouraging small farmers to expand the cultivation of strategic crops.
The project to improve the social and economic situation and enhance food security
It is noteworthy that the project to improve the social and economic situation and enhance food security and nutrition for weak groups in rural societies in Minya Governorate continues until November 2026, and aims to improve agricultural production and increase income of more than 2000 rural families in 10 villages from the most needy villages in the governorate, by establishing schools for field farmers, schools for agricultural business management, and financing small income -generating projects.
The project aims to reduce poverty, empower women, youth and people with special needs, and build sustainable food systems that are able to adapt to climate change.
