Symposium policy note 2: Digitalization of agricultural services and policy analysis in Egypt

Symposium policy note 2: Digitalization of agricultural services and policy analysis in Egypt
Author: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 6
Release: 2020-12-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

This policy note is one in a series of four notes that summarize key findings and recommendations from 32 seminars organized by IFPRI between 2016 and 2020 under the Evaluating Impact and Building Capacity Project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and from related research done in collaboration with national and international partners in Egypt. The briefs have been prepared on the basis of a joint symposium and are intended to give policymakers and program designers in the areas of social protection, nutrition, agricultural policy, and the digitalization of agriculture a quick overview of research-based recommendations on key policy issues that will better enable Egypt to achieve several of the goals outlined in the Sustainable Development Strategy 2030. This policy note highlights how digital tools can help improve monitoring, evaluation, and extension services in Egypt’s agriculture sector and how policy analysis can be institutionalized to guide transformation of the food system and rural economies. Four recommendations are discussed: Building on ongoing efforts, continue to digitize agricultural information systems, build and link agricultural databases, and exploit new sources of data. Build on ongoing projects that develop mobile telephone applications for farmers and learn from international experiences to revitalize and digitalize agricultural extension in Egypt. Build the capacity of agricultural policy analysts within the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation and universities, using both conventional and new digital tools to provide high-quality, research-based policy advice. Promote further digitalization to improve the resilience of food systems in view of shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Symposium policy note 1: Enabling farmers to lead food system transformation and resilience in Egypt

Symposium policy note 1: Enabling farmers to lead food system transformation and resilience in Egypt
Author: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 6
Release: 2020-12-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

Agricultural and food policies will play an important role in making Egypt’s food system fit for future challenges, including resilience to shocks, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This brief highlights the importance of enabling farmers so that they can contribute significantly to a broader transformation and to resilience of Egypt’s food system and rural economy. Five areas of action are highlighted: Invest in a renewed system of agricultural extension services, with an emphasis on new technologies and production systems and on nontraditional crops. Ease rigidities for farmers and increase the market orientation of the agriculture sector, including markets for fertilizer and staple crops. Revisit the current irrigation management system to allow for the adoption of new irrigation technologies and increased efficiency of water usage. Support the development of agro-processing value chains where there are missing markets or market frictions in order to achieve a sustainable and nutrition-sensitive food system. Coordinate agricultural policy with policies of other government ministries to support rural transformation and employment opportunities off the farm.

Symposium policy note 4: Moving nutrition further up the development priority list in Egypt

Symposium policy note 4: Moving nutrition further up the development priority list in Egypt
Author: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 6
Release: 2020-12-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

This policy note is one in a series of four notes that summarize key findings and recommendations from 32 seminars organized by IFPRI between 2016 and 2020 under the Evaluating Impact and Building Capacity Project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and from related research done in collaboration with national and international partners in Egypt. The briefs have been prepared on the basis of a joint symposium and are intended to give policymakers and program designers in the areas of social protection, nutrition, agricultural policy, and the digitalization of agriculture a quick overview of research-based recommendations on key policy issues that will better enable Egypt to achieve several of the goals outlined in the Sustainable Development Strategy 2030. Addressing all forms of malnutrition – both undernutrition and overnutrition – remains a human and economic development challenge that Egypt must overcome. This brief highlights three areas of action to significantly improve the nutritional status of all Egyptians: Make domestic food policies more nutrition-sensitive and incentivize food producers and marketers to shift to the production, processing, and marketing of healthier foods. Expand ongoing awareness and educational campaigns, such as the 100 Million Healthy Lives initiative, to promote improved nutrition and to disseminate nutrition knowledge. The COVID-19 pandemic is an additional reminder and rationale for investing in healthy diets and sustainable food systems. Promote research to make nutrition policy more effective and efficient, including by increasing collection of nutrition-related data and better sharing of already collected data among ministries, research institutes, and other stakeholders.

The Effects of Food Price and Subsidy Policies on Egyptian Agriculture

The Effects of Food Price and Subsidy Policies on Egyptian Agriculture
Author: Joachim Von Braun
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 100
Release: 1983
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0896290433

Extract: The aim of this study is to determine how rapid growth in consumer subsidies has affected agriculture. Therefore, government spending on agriculture is examined, and the government's price policies on inputs and output and its interventions in allocation and marketing are evaluated.

Agricultural Commercialization, Economic Development, and Nutrition

Agricultural Commercialization, Economic Development, and Nutrition
Author: Joachim Von Braun
Publisher: International Food Policy Research Insitute
Total Pages: 444
Release: 1994
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

Subsistence production: a sign of market failure. Commercialization cannot be left to the market. Household effects of commercialization. Nutrition effects of commercialization. Policy action needed.

Egypt’s Haya Karima Initiative: An assessment of its rural and economywide impacts

Egypt’s Haya Karima Initiative: An assessment of its rural and economywide impacts
Author: Raouf, Mariam
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 6
Release: 2023-12-11
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

Egypt’s Haya Karima (HK) Initiative aims at improving the quality of life in the country’s rural communities through interventions related to human development, infrastructure, and economic sectors. This presidential initiative, whose name translates to “Decent Life” in English, has four strategic goals, all targeting Egypt’s rural population: building human capital, improving quality of life, improving the standard of living for the most vulnerable, and providing decent and productive job opportunities. The initiative is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the objectives of Egypt Vision 2030. HK aims to not only curb material poverty but also multidimensional poverty by expanding the umbrella of comprehensive social protection, with a focus on education, health, infrastructure, and employment. It also focuses on achieving the goal of geographical equity by addressing regional disparities that affect rural areas such as Upper Egypt. Here, we describe a recently completed study that assesses the economywide effects of the first phase of HK. The analysis was done by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), in collaboration with Egypt’s Ministry of Economic Planning and Development (MPED) under the project Evaluating Impact and Building Capacity (EIBC), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

An agricultural policy review of Egypt: First steps towards a new strategy

An agricultural policy review of Egypt: First steps towards a new strategy
Author: Kassim, Yumna
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 31
Release: 2018-08-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

The latest population census in Egypt shows that there are more people now living along the narrow strip of land by the Nile than ever before, 95 million (CAPMAS 2017). The country’s rapidly growing population, its limited water resources, and its dependence on food imports all reinforce the importance of an integral agricultural policy. With the recent series of economic reforms that saw the flotation of the Egyptian pound, the imposition of a value-added tax, and decreases in energy subsidies, Egypt has a unique opportunity to focus on sector-level policies, including those within agriculture. This paper reviews agricultural and other related policies and their impact on the overall economic performance of the agricultural sector in Egypt. This stocktaking of policies is to serve as the basis for developing a more comprehensive agricultural strategy and policy framework that aligns sectoral policy objectives with policy measures in an effective and consistent manner. The paper is intended to serve as a reference for policymakers, researchers, and institutions. It highlights agriculture’s place in the Egyptian economy and examines water and irrigation policy and the provision and distribution of agricultural inputs, research, and extension, and reviews the price and procurement policies for key crops. Other public policies and their impact on agriculture are also evaluated via a look at the food subsidy system, land rent and tenure, land reclamation, and trade policies. The concluding section of the paper presents a summary of key messages and proposed questions for further research.

Egypt's Food Subsidy and Rationing System

Egypt's Food Subsidy and Rationing System
Author: Harold Alderman
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 84
Release: 1982
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780896290358

Research report on food policy and the food subsidy and rationing system in Egypt - considers the origins of the system, food security structure, commodity marketing channels and principal commoditys subsidised; examines food policy decision making and regional level economic administration, as well as distributional and nutritional implications in urban areas and rural areas; discusses current food policy trends. Bibliography, diagrams, statistical tables.

The Effects of the Egyptian Food Ration and Subsidy System on Income Distribution and Consumption

The Effects of the Egyptian Food Ration and Subsidy System on Income Distribution and Consumption
Author: Harold Alderman
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 132
Release: 1984
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780896290464

Research report on the effects of the Egyptian food rationing and food subsidy systems on income distribution and consumption - using household survey data explains distribution and food security; examines household expenditure, protein consumption, level of nutrition and percentage calorie deficiency; analyses system of income transfer and interaction with farm crop production and marketing; gives statistical analysis of choice between cooperatives and open market. Bibliography, graphs, statistical tables.