Agricultural extension in Egypt: Issues and options for improvement

Abstract

In Egypt, the agriculture sector plays a crucial role in the health of the economy. Agriculture contributes almost 20% towards the GDP and involves about 35% of its workforce. More than 50% of the population lives in the rural areas and, directly or indirectly, their livelihood depends upon the agricultural sector. Despite agriculture's positive and significant contributions to food security and supply, the economy, employment, export earnings, the ecological balance, the sector faces many threats and challenges. Egypt's agricultural extension service can help realize higher yields through sustainable agriculture. Today, extension activities are carried out through a one-way transfer of knowledge, where farmers are considered recipients, not participants. However, an efficient extension service, an effective extension system and dedicated extensionists can help achieve sustainable development. Initiatives to improve the technical knowledge and enhance communication and facilitation skills of extension staff deserve attention. In this article, an effort has been made to identify the constraints faced by the agriculture sector and outline an extension strategy to realize sustainable development.