Building climate resilience from the soil up in Egypt

14/10/2026

For farmers across Egypt, climate change is bringing growing pressure on crops, water and soils. Rising temperatures, water shortages, salinity, extreme weather, pests and diseases are making agricultural production more difficult, particularly for vulnerable smallholders.

In the Nile Delta, seawater intrusion, coastal salinity pressures, waterlogging and soil degradation are putting further pressure on agricultural land. In Upper Egypt, heat and water scarcity add to the challenges facing rural communities. At the same time, the loss of agricultural biodiversity and unsustainable use of water and inputs can reduce the ability of farming systems to withstand climate shocks.

The project “Promoting Climate Smart Agriculture and Agricultural Biodiversity for Enhancing the Adaptive Capacity of Vulnerable Rural Communities in Old and New Lands of Upper and Lower Egypt” has been working with farmers in Aswan, Beheira, and Kafr El-Sheikh to address these challenges since 2023. It combines climate-smart agriculture (CSA), agricultural biodiversity, soil health and more efficient water use with practical learning through Farmer Field Schools (FFS), which empower farmers to learn by doing, observe and compare different agricultural practices, assess their effects on crop performance, and identify the most suitable options for their own local conditions.

Putting climate-smart practices into farmers’ hands

During the winter 2025/26 season alone, 62 FFS were implemented across the three governorates, involving 1 608 farmers. These schools test and compare CSA and agrobiodiversity practices against conventional farming methods throughout the entire crop cycle, from land preparation and variety selection to irrigation, pest management and harvesting.

Depending on the crop and local conditions, practices included more efficient irrigation, improved varieties, compost and biofertilizers, raised beds, mulching, intercropping and integrated pest management. The project is also strengthening the skills of extension workers and community facilitators to support continued learning and wider uptake.

By observing, testing different approaches, and evaluating the results themselves in their own fields, farmers can see their effects on crops, soil, and water use and identify what works best for their conditions.

More production, less water

The winter 2025/26 results provide a snapshot of what this CSA approach can achieve. Across the three governorates, participating farmers recorded an average crop yield increase of 42.2 percent, and an average reduction in irrigation water use of 23.4 percent compared with the conventional farming practices.

Results varied across crops and locations. In Nasr El Nouba, Aswan, wheat yields rose by 27.3 percent while water consumption fell by almost 69 percent. In Beheira, one faba bean FFS recorded a 140.1 percent increase in yield alongside a 10.4 percent reduction in water use. In Kafr El-Sheikh, cucumber yields increased by 81.8 percent.

The benefits extended below the surface. Soil assessments showed a 30.6 percent increase in organic matter and a 28.5 percent reduction in measured soil salinity indicators, alongside improvements in soil biological activity.

The project also estimated that climate-smart practices during the winter season resulted in 2 868 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in avoided emissions compared with conventional management, showing that the practices can deliver gains for farmers while supporting climate action.

From scepticism to a stronger wheat harvest

For Emad Mostafa El-Qalini, a farmer in El-Handasa village in Kafr El-Sheikh, the benefits became convincing only after he saw them for himself.

When a climate-smart wheat FFS was established during the 2025/26 winter season, fellow farmers selected Emad’s land as the experimental site to compare climate-smart practices with conventional farming methods.  Yet he was initially sceptical of several of the proposed practices. He questioned the timing and amount of superphosphate application, wondered whether reducing the wheat seed rate from his usual 60–70 kilograms to 40 kilograms per feddan would affect productivity, and was unconvinced of the benefit of raised-bed cultivation.

As the season progressed, however, the field began to change his mind. Irrigation was quicker and more even on the raised beds, while post-planting operations became easier. Then strong winds and heavy rain provided an unexpected test of the different approaches.

While many neighbouring conventionally planted wheat fields had lodged, with plants flattened and grain heads lying in the mud, Emad’s experimental plot remained standing.

At harvest, the difference was reflected in the numbers. The plot produced 22.5 ardebs of wheat per feddan. In previous years, Emad’s wheat had never exceeded 16 ardebs. He also found that the new approach had reduced his costs.

As Emad came to recognize the value of the practices he had initially questioned, his experience demonstrated one of the strengths of the FFS model: change can come through observation and evidence, allowing farmers to test new approaches rather than simply being told to adopt them.

Growing the evidence from field to field

Emad’s experience is one example of a wider effort that is still underway. Through further FFS, demonstration plots, training and community activities, the project is giving farmers more opportunities to test and adapt climate-smart and biodiversity-friendly practices.

Women are an important part of this process. During the winter 2025/26 cycle, they represented almost half of all FFS participants, rising to 80.8 percent in the climate-smart agriculture schools in Aswan.

With the project currently running until June 2027, lessons will continue to build across seasons, crops and locations. Each field provides an opportunity to compare approaches, document results and strengthen farmers’ confidence in practices suited to a changing climate. These experiences are building local evidence that practical changes can help farmers adapt while maintaining productive and sustainable agricultural systems.