Agriculture in Egypt relies heavily on irrigation water from the Nile. Compared to a century ago, the annual per capita share of freshwater resources has declined by more than 80%, and could fall by over half in the next quarter of a century. The land itself is in short supply due to the ever-growing population, where the cultivated area per person by increasing urbanization. This will have effects on the sustainability of the natural resources. Until not long ago, agricultural research and development efforts were directed towards increasing crop production without much emphasis on its sustainability. However, to address the issues related to the increasing pressure on the existing limited natural-resource base in Egypt and to conserve the environment, a Resource Management Program was initiated as part of the Nile Valley and Red Sea Regional Program (NVRSRP). This program is jointly implemented by the Agricultural Research Center (ARC) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation of Egypt and ICARDA in collaboration with other national institutions and universities. The goal of the program is to achieve sustainable production based on better management of the natural-resource base in Egypt. This being accomplished through basic, intensive, technical long-term trials involving different crop rotations and management levels in representative agroecologies. In addition, extensive on-farm monitoring of the resources is conducted in farmers' fields to study the ways in which farmers actually use the available resources. Particular emphasis is being placed on the participation of women in the long-term monitoring. This booklet introduces the activities and promising results achieved so far within this innovative approach. The kind financial support provided by the European Union and the Egyptian Government and the dedicated efforts of the Egyptian scientists are already demonstrating the significance of this program in spite of its magnitude and the long-term nature ib its activities. It is hoped that with the progress of these activities and the availability of more results, positive action will be taken to protect the natural-resource base in Egypt.

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