Cairo: Egyptian ministers held a joint meeting to discuss the impact of climate change on Egypt's food security and coordinate a unified national strategy to mitigate its effects. The meeting was chaired by Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development and Acting Minister of Environment; Hani Sweilem, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation; and Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, with the participation of representatives from relevant ministries and institutions.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Manal Awad opened the meeting by emphasizing that the gathering follows the directives of Egypt's political leadership to develop an integrated national vision to address the effects of climate change on food security. She highlighted the importance of coordination among ministries to agree on the necessary measures that will strengthen Egypt's food security in light of current efforts and future plans.
She called for closer collaboration among ministries and scientific bodies within the framework of the National Council for Climate Change, which brings together stakeholders from the agriculture, higher education, water, housing, and environment sectors. The aim is to outline a roadmap and timeline for action, identifying the challenges each sector faces in adaptation and mitigation.
Dr. Awad presented several environmental policy proposals to improve Egypt's food security, including strengthening data collection on meteorology, land use, crop distribution, livestock, and climate risks over six to eight months. She also called for supporting scientific research and training programs to align with expected climate shifts, promoting sustainable agricultural practices, improving productivity, and enhancing rural community development. She stressed the importance of addressing health, education, and gender empowerment as key factors for climate resilience.
The Acting Minister of Environment also noted Egypt's focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and forestry by managing animal waste, improving rice cultivation methods, soil management, and reducing open-field burning. Additional measures include enhancing agricultural extension services, investing in irrigation technologies, and expanding the use of agricultural mechanization.
She also mentioned the importance of improving transport and market infrastructure to reduce costs and improve food distribution, establishing insurance systems against climate-related risks for farmers, and providing affordable loans for agricultural inputs.
For his part, Dr. Hani Sweilem highlighted the major water management projects implemented by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation in recent years to strengthen Egypt's resilience against climate-related water challenges. He noted that Egypt has significantly expanded the reuse of agricultural drainage water, upgraded its canals, drains, and pumping stations, and developed digital monitoring tools - with 27 applications now in use - that rely on satellite imagery, drone surveys, and mathematical modeling for water management. He also referred to Egypt's flood protection and rainwater harvesting projects and the ongoing smart irrigation initiative in collaboration with Spain.
Sweilem proposed the creation of a comprehensive implementation plan that includes building solar- and wind-powered desalination plants, establishing decentralized water treatment units along drainage networks, expanding early warning systems for heatwaves and droughts, developing digital irrigation applications, and training farmers to use smart irrigation systems. He also emphasized the importance of launching public awareness campaigns on food and water security.
Minister of Agriculture Alaa Farouk underscored the need to move beyond recommendations to actionable implementation, stressing that Egypt must adopt a clear, results-based plan that reflects real progress on the ground. He emphasized the strategic role of the Ministry of Agriculture in coordination with research institutions and international financing organizations to reach farmers directly.
Farouk called for expanding climate-smart agricultural practices, including developing new drought-, salinity-, and heat-resistant crop and livestock breeds, applying modern irrigation systems to improve water efficiency, and promoting sustainable production methods to increase resilience across the agricultural sector.
The meeting reviewed Egypt's national strategies for biodiversity, agriculture, and water management, along with ongoing adaptation and mitigation projects implemented under the National Climate Adaptation Plan and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Participants presented their proposals for strengthening food security and climate resilience, and it was agreed that a follow-up meeting would be held to review each ministry's implementation plan, timeline, and progress in addressing climate challenges.