The IFPRI-Egypt Seminar Series is part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded project called “Evaluating Impact and Building Capacity” (EIBC) that is implemented by IFPRI. The seminar supports USAID’s Agribusiness for Rural Development and Increasing Incomes (ARDII) project’s objectives.

1. International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
icarda.org cgiar.org
A CGIAR Research Center
Promising Technologies for
Small-Scale Farmers:
Overcoming Challenges
Aly Abousabaa
IFPRI-ICARDA Joint Seminar
Cairo, March 29, 2018

2. 2
Challenges Facing Dry Areas
Climate
Change
Poverty
Inequality
Global Food
Trade & Yield
Gaps
Population
Growth &
Rapid
Urbanization
Land
Degradation
&
Desertification
Water
Scarcity
Political
Instability,
Conflict
Loss of
Agro-
Biodiversity

3. 3
Source: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Dry Areas and Climate Change
WITH A 4°C RISE,
DRY AREAS COULD SEE
GROWING SEASONS
CUT BY 20%

4. 4
Potential Impact of Climate Change
on Egyptian Economy
• Estimated reduction in
agricultural outputs in 2030: 17%
• Estimated decrease in
agriculture labor hours in 2030:
6%
• Less water and poorer water
quality
• Higher coastal protection costs
• Higher mortality from air pollution
• Loss in tourism revenues
• Higher malnutrition
• Higher unemployment
• Several hundred billion EGP
economic losses annually
Source: “Potential Impacts of Climate Change on the Egyptian Economy,” UNDP

5. 5
4°C Warmer World:
ICARDA’s Support for Smallholder Farmers
• High value, climate-resilient
crops and small ruminants
• Crop improvements for yield
potential, abiotic and biotic
stresses
• Integrated “livestock,
rangelands, crops” production
systems
• Intensification and diversification
of cropping systems
• Protected agriculture
• Improvements in water availability
and management; greywater use
• Added value on dairy products in
marginal dry areas

6. 6
Transforming Agriculture in Irrigated Eco-Systems
Before
After
Mechanized Raised-Bed technology
helps the wheat growers to
• save applied water up to 25%
• reduce seed rate by 50%
• decrease farming cost by 25%
• increase fertilizers use efficiency
by 30%
• reduce yield loss
• reduce farming time by 80%
• increase crops yields up to 30%

7. 7
• Wheat. Irrigating for 25 days and 50
mm saves enough water on the wheat
crop nationally to irrigate an
additional areas of wheat of about
50,000 hectares
• Maize. Irrigating for 12 days and 88
mm saves enough water on the maize
crop nationally to irrigate an
additional area of maize of about
60,000 hectares
Optimizing Water and Land Productivity

8. 8
ICARDA’ Work in Egypt with Partners
Examples

9. 9
Barley
ICARDA and Agricultural Research Center
ICARDA and ARC have identified and verified barley varieties
adapted to dry areas.
Results
• Identified high-yield varieties under irrigated and rainfed
conditions
• In 2015/2016, farmers produced and distributed 47 tons of “Giza
126” and “Giza 2000” seeds to neighboring farmers
• 6 new lines are under study; 2 new lines are out-yielding “Giza
126” and “Giza 2000” by 23% and 26%, respectively
• Integrated “livestock, rangelands, crops” production systems in
the rainfed areas of coastal zone of western desert

10. 10
Faba bean
ICARDA, ARC
Results
• Identification of novel genes associated with heat tolerance
• Screened 700 F4 lines for heat tolerance in Sudan, including 36
varies of fast-growing and 20 heat-tolerant lines
• 2 new varieties released in Egypt (Giza 1557 & Giza 1813); 3 new
varieties released in Sudan
• 46% farmers reported using new varieties and parts of the
technology package
• Farmers adopting faba bean packages saw their average income
increase by 173%
• In Orobanche-infested areas, adoption of package increased
yields and incomes, reduced costs
ICARDA and ARC
seek disease-
and heat-
resistant traits in
faba beans.

11. 11
Wheat Improvement Program
ICARDA, ARC
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Yield(t/ha)
Grain yield performance of the best ICARDA line and the local check across
locations in the 16th ESBWYT, 2016
Local check
best line
Developing heat-tolerant wheat genotypes with high-yielding
potential and resistance to major diseases and insects.

12. 12
Small Ruminants-Based System
ICARDA, ARC, Iowa State University
Results
• 5 breeds of goats, 6 breeds of Egyptian
sheep analyzed
• Developed abiotic-stress tolerant Barki
sheep and goats to support livelihoods of
communities in Egypt’s coastal zone of
western desert
• Tests identified chromosomes 6, 12 and
16 harbor important genes for adaptation
to abiotic stress
Work
• Investigating individual biological and
genetic variations in Barki sheep and
goats for adaptation under dry hot
conditions
• Genomic analysis and assessment of
signature of selection for adaptation
traits in desert sheep and goats
• Project began in 2008 - 2009

13. 13
• Since 1978, over 2,000 Egyptian
researchers have benefited from
ICARDA training
• Capacity strengthening of scientists
farmers, extension staff and community
workers is integrated across all ICARDA
research activities
• Courses include conservation
agriculture; improving water
productivity in agricultural systems;
integrated crop-livestock production for
marginal and favorable ecosystems
Developing National Capacity
Focus on Young Scientists