Agriculture is still one of the important industries in Egypt. Agriculture is particularly important in Upper Egypt. About 53% of people are engaged in agriculture in Upper Egypt, while the national average is 28%. Also, Upper Egypt is the region with the highest poverty rate in the country and has 60% of the total population. In addition, 85% of farmers in this region are small-scale farmers owning less than 3 feddan (1.26 ha) farmland. Therefore, it is considered that improvement of farmersf livelihood is essential to solve above issues.
Improving Small-Scale Farmersf Market-Oriented Agriculture Project (ISMAP) aims to increase small-scale farmersf incomes through promoting gMarket-Oriented Approachh i.e. farming as business to small-scale farmers, for which our approach focuses on the capacity development of small-scale farmers as well as agricultural extension workers and agricultural cooperatives.
Expected outputs of the Project are; 1) establish market- oriented extension approach, 2) develop agricultural techniques for value-added products, 3) strengthen the capacity of agricultural cooperatives for making and implementing their action plans, and 4) extend farming methods based on the market-oriented approach within the target agricultural cooperatives and in Districts. The Project has implemented activities such as training on market survey and farming as well as dialogue with Agri-business stakeholders.