Unemployment and poverty are highest in the rural areas in Egypt’s southern governorates, such as Sohag, Minya, Luxor or Aswan. This area known as Upper Egypt hosts 80 percent of those living in severe poverty in just a few provinces. Despite widespread agriculture through a network of small farms, food insecurity is a major challenge here and 74.4 percent of households in Upper Egypt are food insecure.
Since 2018 our project, Micro-Farms for Mothers with our partner organization Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services (CEOSS), has aimed to address these problems by supplying beneficiaries with the supplies and assistance to begin small animal farms (i.e. a flock of ducklings, a pair of sheep, etc.) or tomato growing and processing. Along with the supplies (feed, seeds, equipment, etc.), beneficiaries receive training in nutrition and health. With these supplies and training, the average cost for a new participant is $900 – $1,200.
After around 6 months, the participants start earning profits from selling the products. With this profit, they can repay the initial costs, allowing the project to fund more families in the region. As of 2024, the project has helped implementation of 337 micro farming projects: 69 in poultry raising, 32 in tomato growing and processing, 236 in sheep cultivation. Additionally, 30 local female leaders were trained to become trainers in nutrition, so that they can continue to educate others in their communities.
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