EGYPT: $2bn climate food security funding in 8 years

Egypt will receive $2 billion in funding over the next eight years to strengthen its food security. The funds will be provided by several development partners including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UN’s international financial institution responsible for fighting poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries.

The funds will be provided to the Egyptian government in the form of loans until 2030 and then distributed to small-scale farmers in rural areas. In Egypt, drought is affecting crops, affecting food security. The country’s agricultural production is also threatened by rising waters, cyclones and increasingly frequent flooding.

Improved irrigation systems

As a result, part of the $2 billion in funding will go towards the purchase of drought-resistant seeds. In Egypt, agriculture supports 57% of the population and employs 26%, according to IFAD. In the North African country, water-intensive irrigation systems will be replaced by more efficient ones, including drip irrigation, to slow the depletion of freshwater resources, especially the Nile. Egypt is 97% dependent on the river for drinking water and agriculture. The other part of the funding pledged by IFAD will be used to strengthen the country’s weather forecasting systems, which small-scale farmers rely on to plan their activities.

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This work is part of the Nexus of Water, Food and Energy (MWFE), announced by the Egyptian Ministry of International Cooperation in July 2022 to implement green projects in the water, food and energy sectors. These projects will be validated at the 27^th UN Conference of the Parties on Climate (COP27) in Egypt, says IFAD. The MWFE will be financed to the tune of $10 billion through grants, concessional financing and private sector investment.

Inès Magoum