Executive summary

Egypt's demand for food has been steadily increasing. Not only is more food needed for a grow log population, but a higher quality of food products is sought as more Egyptians are able to afford and appreciate the significance of improved nutrition. These dual demands led to the design and implementation of a cooperative Egypt-U.S. program in science and technology to address problems of food, agriculture, and nutrition. The More and Better Food (MBF) demonstration project is a major activity of this program. Responsibility for managing the project was assigned to the National Research Centre (NRC), the largest affiliated research institute of the Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT).

The MBF Project had two major objective:

1. To mobilize the NRC's scientific manpower in a multidisciplinary program to increase crop production in selected demonstration villages, and to study the impact of increased productivity on the nutritional and socioeconomic status of the village community.

2. To develop the NRC's capability to manage multidisciplinary and multi-institutional programs.

This report describes how science and technology can be applied to solve the staggering problem of food shortage in Egypt. AB a result of the MBF Project, the NRC has developed an effective system for mobilizing its scientific manpower to deal with problems at the village level and to influence national food policies.

The document includes four sections:

1. The Status of Food, Agriculture, and Nutrition in Egypt.

2. Research and Development Resources.

3. The National Research Centre and the More and Better Food Project.

4. The More and Better Food Intervention Projects.

Egypt, which until 1960 had been self-sufficient in all crops but wheat, now faces a steadily widening gap between production and consumption; this creates an enormous burden on the national economy. The value of food imports grew from $150 million (mostly wheat) in 1960 to $184 million in 1970, then soared to $1.9 billion in 1980. The striking increase in the demand for food during the 1970s was largely due to the increase in population, the increase in per capita consumption, and the expansion of the government's food subsidy policy.

Egypt's scientific manpower in agriculture, food, and nutrition totals more than 3,300 researchers (Ph.D.) and more than 4,400 research assistants (M.Sc.) working in the areas of crop production, horticulture, soil sciences, botany, agricultural pests and plant protection, agricultural economics and rural development, animal production, farm mechanization and engineering, food and dairy sciences, and human nutrition.

Most of these researchers (55.5 percent) are in university faculties of agriculture. The Agricultural Research Centre (ARC) of the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) employs 21.5 percent of the nation's overall science and technology manpower in its 13 institutes. The NRC has 3 divisions (9 laboratories) that specialize in agriculture, food, and nutrition, and that employ more than 400 researchers and research assistants.

The authority for agricultural research and extension in Egypt rests with the ARC. In addition, the ASRT, the NRC, the universities, and the Ministry of Irrigation conduct research of direct or indirect interest to agriculture.

The NRC is by far the largest multidisciplinary research institute in Egypt. It includes 14 divisions and 41 laboratories, and employs 160 professors, 225 associate professors, 318 researchers (Ph.D.), 321 research assistants (M.Sc.), 369 research fellows (B.Sc.), and 981 special and technical assistants. More than 30 percent of NRC manpower is engaged in food, agriculture, and nutrition research.

The history of NRC research in those areas reveals that from 1957 to 1968 the major effort was to build scientific and technical manpower in various disciplines; most of the research was academic in nature, resulting in publication of theses for advanced degrees. Collaboration among laboratories was informal.

In 1968, the NRC entered a new era when it began coordinating its activities with the Scientific Council for Food Industries and with the El-Fayum Governorate. Two joint councils were established, and the NRC began letting contracts designed to address problems of food and agriculture (22 contracts, value LE 97,500). In 1975, the NRC management adopted a new policy that called for expansion in user-oriented research, and began to explore every possible source of funding for applied research and development.

The MBF, started in 1977, therefore came at a time and in an environment that provided--and continues to provide-major prerequisites for success: availability of scientific manpower with all specialties needed to start a multidisciplinary program, an administration seeking improvement of its research and development management system, and a new policy that placed a high premium on user-oriented research.

Management of the MBF Project was handled by a steering committee, chaired by a former minister of agriculture, with representation from government sectors and the heads of NRC divisions dealing with food, agriculture, and nutrition. Several factors facilitated the work of the steering committee:
- Full support by the NRC director
- Independent management authority and responsibility
- Resources to implement projects
- Careful determination and application of selection criteria for projects to receive R&D funding
- Full participation of end users (farmers and villagers) in program design and management.

The steering committee recognized that many factors, both technical and managerial, would be essential for the success of the project. The most important of these were as follows:

- The ordinary farmer, as the intended client of the project, should be a partner in the processes of decision making, execution, and choice of technology as well as a consumer of the scientific information generated.
- The technology used should be simple, appropriate, affordable, and acceptable to the farmer. Preference should be given to technologies adapted specifically for Egyptian socioeconomic conditions.
- The project should be carefully selected to ensure that farmers would quickly learn that new methods would produce substantial results.
- The plan should consider expansion and popularization of the activity.
- The ultimate goal should be the incorporation of the activities in national programs for rural development.

According to the steering committee's plan, the MBF Project proceeded in three major stages:

1. Selection of village(s) patterns.

2. Collection of baseline data on selected villages.

3. Design of projects that met criteria adopted by the steering committee, which included: typical of rural living

-- addressing problems of agricultural productivity as identified by the farmers
-- guaranteeing that farmers would not suffer losses for their participation in any demonstration activity
-- attempting to make all activities suitable to local conditions.

The process of village selection sought to identify (1) a village typical of a traditional rural area (Kafr Al-Khadra, Menufia), (2) another representing newly reclaimed land (Omar Makram, Beheira), and (3) one influenced by nearby urbanization (Beni-Magdoul, Giza). The selection process utilized baseline data on agriculture, health, utilities, social services, and public services. Final stages required field visits that gave special attention to farmers' requests for assistance.

Intervention projects carried out through the MBF included:

- Plant-production-related projects on peanuts, corn, wheat, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, grapes, mangoes, weed control, insect control, soil fertility, and silkworm raising and honeybeekeeping
- Animal-production-related projects on poultry farming, animal health and productivity, raising rabbits, and dairy production
- Health and nutrition projects on child health and nutrition, child growth patterns, anemia, nutrition education, and the impact of agricultural projects on health, nutrition, and socioeconomic status.

The following represent the general achievements of the MBF:

The MBF was by far the largest assignment ever carried out by the NRC. The program involved the collaboration of more than 300 scientists in 13 specialties from the NRC who worked directly with about 100 scientists from the ministries and the universities.

- The MBF was the vehicle through which the NRC staff gained experience in the management of large multidisciplinary, multi-institutional projects.
- The MBF provided the first chance for the NRC staff to communicate and deal with the real problems of the village, and to establish a long lasting researcher-farmer relationship.
- The MBF created an awareness among its scientific staff of the importance of socioeconomic aspects in both project design and implementation.
- The MBF led to more expanded efforts at the regional level (Al-Tahady and Al-Salheia), governorate level (Giza Governorate), ministerial level (NRC staff was represented on all ARC committees), and the national level (corn project).

Some specific achievements of the MBF are described below.

The tomato project introduced two new practices: growing tomatoes on wire and starting seedlings under plastic tunnels. Average productivity increased from 4.0 tons/feddan* (t/f) to 27.8 t/f in Omar Makram and from 5.7 t/f to 32.4 t/f in Kafr Al-Khadra. Based on this increase and other findings of the MBF, the Giza Governorate financed a project entitled "Science and Technology in Rural Development" (STRD). In 1981, 1,000 feddans owned by 572 farmers from 14 villages reported average production of 22.8 t/f (compared with 6.74 t/f on acreage outside the project) and extra income of LE 1,614/f. In 1982, the Supreme National Committee for Policies and Economics (chaired by the prime minister) approved the expansion of the STRD to three governorates--Giza, Beni-Suef, and El-Fayum. Tomato planting covered 7,831 feddans owned by 6,109 farmers in 56 villages, with an average production of 29.99 t/f.

The corn project introduced an improved agronomic package for two high-yielding maize varieties: imported Pioneer 514 (hybrid) and local Giza. The package also included the cultivation of a summer forage crop (Sordan 77 or Millex-24) on 2 kirats** per feddan. The project was implemented in Omar Makram and Kafr Al-Khadra, and feddan. later extended its activity to the Giza Governorate. The ASRT and the MOA launched a national campaign for growing maize (Giza 2) in more than 150,000 feddans in 23 governorates. Average production ranged from 3.32 to 4.05 t/f compared with 1.65 t/f before the project was begun.

The peanut project demonstrated an integrated approach to the effective implementation of science and technology in the field, beginning with the complete problem diagnosis, allocation of resources, and careful timing of the proposed intervention. The achievements of this project in the Al-Tahady sector were widely recognized and reported in Egypt. Between 1979 and 1982, Al-Tahady had shown successive decreases in the average yield of the 6,000 feddans from 9 ardab*/f to 2.8 ardab/f. The MBF intervention began in 1982 with a complete diagnosis of the causes and initial implementation of treatment. By 1984, the MBF applied the new principles of the peanut project to 1,250 feddans in Al-Tahady and 750 feddans in Omar Makram; average productivity reached 17 ardab/f and 26 ardab/f, respectively. In 1985, the MBF spread its methodology to all 6,000 feddans of peanut cultivation and was supported by LE 100,000 from the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA).

A small-scale poultry production unit (family size) was introduced in the demonstration villages to provide farmers with a good source of protein and with added income. In 1984, 58 families from Omar Makram participated in the project with 100 chicks/family/rotation (5 rotations/year). Families in the neighboring villages of Omar Shaheen later implemented the project on their own. Statistics reveal that a typical unit with 100 chicks/rotation and a total of 5 annual rotations produced a net profit of about LE 400.

The following table shows the crop production figures of farmers in the MBF project compared with figures reported for nonparticipating farmers.

Research teams currently are operating through contracts with privately owned mango and orange farms in Beni Magdoul and Kafr Al-Gabal (Giza Governorate), Samalout (El-Minia Governorate), and El-Santa (El-Gharbia Governorate). This reflects a significant sign of institutionalization and new mode of services by the NRC.

*Ardab (ardeb): volume measure = 5.62 bushels.
*One feddan = 1.038 acres.
**One kirat = 1 /24 feddan.

Comparison of MBF and Non-MBF Crop Production

Average Production (T/F)

Crop	Village*	MBF	Nonparticipants	Extra Income/Feddan (LE)
Wheat (Sakha 61)	OM	1.64	0.75	585
Onion (Giza 20)	OM/KK	17.00	4.20	1,920
	BM	15.00	6.26	1,300
Cucumber (Beta-Alpha)	OM	15.00	3.00	1,200
Potato	KK/OM	14.50	5.60	1,335
Mango	BM	2.66	0.45	1,611

*Key: OM = Omar Makram; KK = Kafr Al-Khadra; BM = Beni Magdoul.

Comparison of MBF and Non-MBF Crop Production