WFP Goodwill Ambassador Hend Sabry visits climate change adaptation projects in Egypt
CAIRO – Arab film star, Hend Sabry has visited a climate change adaptation programme run by the Government of Egypt and the World Food Programme (WFP) in her capacity as Goodwill Ambassador for the UN agency.
Her two-day visit to locations in Luxor and Aswan highlighted the impact of WFP and the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation’s (MALR) joint rural development programme, supporting 80,000 smallholder farmers in Upper Egypt.
Sabry spoke with farmers about the programme’s impact on their agricultural production, income, food security and overall preparedness against the impacts of climate change.
“Rising temperatures affect our agricultural and water resources, putting our food and water security at risk. We all have a role to play as Governments, institutions, or individuals. We at WFP, are doing our part in cooperation with the Government of Egypt, helping communities adapt to climate change,” she said.
The programme has helped introduce various enhanced agriculture techniques and improved agricultural infrastructure for irrigation and electricity supply to help smallholder farmers maximize their profits and minimize costs.
By merging their small land plots in groups of 5-10 neighbouring farmers, farmers have been able to increase land availability by 20-25 percent and have increased their production by 60 percent using enhanced seed varieties that are more tolerant to the high temperatures of the region.
To enhance water usage, WFP provided cement lining for mud canals and established solar-power stations to operate water pumps using electricity rather than diesel fuel. These improvements led to a decrease of 35 percent in farmers’ water usage and costs.
Sabry also visited an early warning centre supported by WFP and managed by MALR and Community Development Associations. The centre provides an early weather warning system whereby information and advice on how to protect crops and reduce losses is provided to farmers to help them prepare for sudden weather changes.
Farmers also spoke of the use of various agro-processing techniques for better storage which allows them to sell their produce at higher prices.
Such interventions have helped raise farmers’ incomes by 30 percent, allowing them to meet their most basic needs including food, healthcare, housing, and education for their children.
This visit comes ahead of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) which will be hosted by the Government of Egypt form 7-18 November 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
Download footage of Hend Sabry’s visit here.
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The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.
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