Egypt's ministers of planning and agriculture have ordered the immediate resolution of obstacles facing small farmers in Aswan, directing the rapid completion of irrigation projects and the distribution of livestock and poultry grants to rural households. This came during a field tour of the Sustainable Agricultural Investments and Livelihoods project in the Wadi Al-Sa'aydah region.
During a field tour of the Sustainable Agricultural Investments and Livelihoods (SAIL) project in the Wadi Al-Sa'aydah region, Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, and Alaa Farouk, Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, inspected ongoing infrastructure works alongside Aswan Governor Ismail Kamal and IFAD Country Director Mohamed Abdel Kader.
Farouk directed the project's executive director to allocate a package of development initiatives for Wadi Al-Sa'aydah residents, including fully equipped poultry and rabbit units for immediate production cycles and support for families with high-yield, genetically improved buffalo to boost income from dairy and meat products. He confirmed free technical and veterinary follow-up to ensure sustainability.
"We are with you in the field, and our field follow-up teams are working around the clock to remove any obstacles you face," Farouk told local farmers. "We will not allow any negligence that affects the rights of farmers."
The delegation inspected the agricultural drain serving Al-Ashraf and Al-Samaha villages, designed to address drainage water issues harming agricultural sustainability and to restore land productivity. The visit also covered rehabilitation of internal canals (Masaqi) in Upper Egypt, aimed at rationalizing water use, ensuring equitable distribution, and cutting maintenance costs for smallholders.
Farouk stated that the government is advancing a comprehensive vision to turn Upper Egypt into an "attractive area for investment and food production," in line with directives from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. He noted the ministry's efforts in cleaning and rehabilitating thousands of kilometers of private canals, which have already lowered irrigation costs and water loss, synchronized with the national plan for modern irrigation systems in coordination with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.
Al-Mashat emphasized the state's "integrated development interventions" to improve economic and social conditions, stressing "national ownership" of international partnership projects and their integration with the government's investment plan to maximize impact in rural and remote areas. In Al-Samaha village, the group reviewed grants for women, with Al-Mashat calling it a "model for integrated development interventions" targeting vulnerable groups, especially female-headed households. She highlighted support for rural women's economic empowerment and social hubs like the local women's club, noting that completing the agricultural drain would stabilize living conditions by tackling rising groundwater in homes.
Aswan Governor Ismail Kamal affirmed the priority on supporting productive communities and breadwinning women, with ongoing coordination with ministries and partners to expand initiatives. IFAD's Mohamed Abdel Kader described SAIL as a "pioneering experience" in transforming new lands agriculturally, underscoring the need for activity sustainability and enhanced coordination between state agencies and international organizations to achieve sustainable development goals.