Egypt is stepping up efforts to tackle salinity as part of its agenda for food security, water management and climate-resilient agriculture. The aim is to develop a Salinity Roadmap: a practical framework that helps governments, donors, researchers, companies and farmers work from a shared direction. For the Netherlands, this builds on long-standing cooperation with Egypt in water, agriculture and delta management, while creating opportunities in saline agriculture, soil health and data-driven irrigation.
River Nile – looking out on Giza
Agricultural Counselor Tycho Vermeulen at the first planting of disease resilient and climate adaptive citrus varieties by Bouman Fruit and Jaguar (RVO-Impact Cluster project)
In Egypt, salinity is no longer a future risk. It is already affecting farmers, water managers and policymakers across the country. ‘For Egypt, salinity is not a standalone technical issue, says Tycho Vermeulen, Agricultural Counselor for Egypt and Jordan at the Dutch Embassy in Cairo. ‘It is directly linked to food security, water management, climate adaptation, agricultural productivity and the prospects of farmers. Rainfall in Egypt is very limited. Everything depends on the Nile. At the same time, the population is growing rapidly, which means there is strong demand for both water and food.’
That pressure is visible in different ways across the country. ‘In northern Egypt, seawater is moving inland, and groundwater is becoming more saline,’ Vermeulen says. ‘Elsewhere, aquifers are being depleted, making the available groundwater increasingly salty. In other areas, salts accumulate in the topsoil because too little water is applied to flush it out. And in some desert and oasis regions, salt is naturally present in the soil and subsoil.’
‘Salinity is directly linked to food security, water management, climate adaptation, agricultural productivity and the prospects of farmers’
Farming under saline pressure
The impact is already visible in the field. ‘Farmers sometimes have to switch to crops or varieties that are more salt-tolerant,’ says Vermeulen. ‘In some areas, production systems are changing completely, for example from fruit to dates. In parts of the north, soil-based farming is becoming increasingly difficult, and farmers are turning to aquaculture. Elsewhere, reclaimed agricultural land has even been abandoned to become desert again.’
The implications for food production are significant. Egypt is therefore looking for ways to use water more efficiently, increase water reuse and, where economically feasible, apply desalination technologies. ‘Reverse osmosis, for example, can be an option for high-value crops,’ Vermeulen explains. ‘It uses pressure to push saline water through a membrane, removing salts and producing water that can be used for irrigation.’
Salinity rises on the international agenda
Dutch Minister Sjoerd Sjoerdsma for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation visited Egypt in early May as part of the close Dutch-Egyptian cooperation on agriculture and horticulture. The accompanying conference addressed topics such as water-use efficiency, precision agriculture and rural advisory services.
Yet, most efforts are still fragmented. ‘At the moment you see a large cloud of strategies,’ says Vermeulen. ‘There is no coherent, food-system-oriented, agricultural policy for dealing with salinity. From the water perspective, that policy direction is much clearer. From the agricultural side, we still lack a solid fundamental basis.’
Typical view of irrigation and drainage channels in small holder farming Agriculture and irrigation in Egypt
Different causes of salinity
Therefore, work is underway on a more integrated approach. At the beginning of this year, a study was completed as a basis for a more national approach to salinity. Commissioned by the Dutch Embassy in Cairo and the Netherlands Food Partnership and developed with input from Delphy and The Salt Doctors, it distinguishes four types of salinity causes.
The first type is the encroachment of the sea, especially in northern Egypt, says a spokesperson for the Dutch knowledge company Delphy. ‘As a result, groundwater becomes more saline and agriculture in coastal and delta areas comes under pressure.
The second type occurs mainly in the so-called old lands – Egypt’s long-established agricultural areas – where drainage does not function well enough. When water is not properly drained, salts can accumulate, and soil salinization can occur.’
‘The third type can be found in arid areas where the soil is naturally saline, for example around a few oases. Food production is still possible there, but farmers are working with soils that already contain high levels of salt.
The fourth type occurs on the periphery of the delta. In these areas, water is used so efficiently that too little water is applied to flush salts out of the topsoil. The result is salt accumulation in the upper soil layer.’
The effects of salinization on crops, taken in the Sharqia region
A tailored response with different strategies
‘The ambition is now to build on this study and develop it into a broader Salinity Roadmap,' Vermeulen explains. ‘This roadmap should help translate the four types of salinity into practical measures for different regions and farming systems and support a more coherent national response to salinity.’
‘These measures may include improved drainage, irrigation modernization, planned salt leaching, soil improvement, crop diversification, protected cultivation, monitoring, data use and better coordination between ministries and implementing organizations. The underlying idea is that salinity can only be addressed effectively when water management, agricultural policy, soil health, market development and finance are connected.’
Bridging the gaps between knowledge, policy and farmers’ realities
According to Delphy, Egypt already has a strong scientific knowledge base on salinity management. ‘Research institutes, universities and projects have developed valuable insights into drainage management, salt-tolerant crops, irrigation scheduling, soil amendments and salinity monitoring. Yet, many solutions remain limited to pilots, research settings or temporary programs.’
That is why, three gaps need to be bridged. ‘The first is the gap between research and practice: knowledge exists but does not always reach farmers and implementing organizations in a form they can use directly.’
‘The second is the gap between water policy and agricultural policy. Effective salinity management requires cooperation between the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, drainage authorities, provincial governments, research centers, private parties and farmer organizations. A positive development is that salinity management is now being coordinated more strongly by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, in close cooperation with other relevant ministries.’
The third gap is perhaps the most significant. ‘The distance between available solutions and what farmers can realistically afford and apply, especially smallholders. Technologies such as advanced irrigation systems, desalination, protected agriculture and drainage rehabilitation may deliver strong long-term benefits, but often require high upfront investment. For many smallholders, those costs are too high, particularly when access to finance, advice and risk-sharing is limited.’
Field visit Western Delta – a small and medium-sized enterprises Farm
Translating technical solutions into affordable business models
The greatest opportunity, according to Delphy, lies in translating proven technical solutions into practical business models. ‘Measures must not only be technically effective, but also fit farmers’ earning models. That requires strong extension services, appropriate finance mechanisms, market incentives and demonstration projects that show how interventions can lead to higher yields, lower costs, or reduced risk.’
‘One example is the ProSal-Hydro project, in which Delphy worked with low-tech hydroponics, an innovative system with Dutch expertise, for small farmers in the Nile Delta. At first, many farmers were unfamiliar with the technology. By the end of the project, they were more positive because they had seen the results themselves. This points to an important lesson for scaling: farmers are more willing to adopt new technologies or cultivation practices when they can see concrete improvements in yield, costs, or income.’
The ProSal-Hydro project
For that reason, technical solutions need to be supported by demonstration farms, good extension services and farmer-to-farmer learning networks. ‘These practical forms of knowledge transfer build trust and speed up adoption. Solutions also need to fit existing farming systems, local conditions and the resources farmers already have. We identify several interventions that can be relatively accessible for smallholders, such as better irrigation scheduling, salt-tolerant varieties, compost application and improved water management. These measures can increase productivity while reducing salt stress, without making farmers dependent on expensive equipment, imported inputs or permanent donor funding.’
Solutions at farm level
At farm level, the solution is rarely a single technology, says Delphy. ‘It is more often a combination of practical choices. Crop selection is important: crops and varieties must match local salinity conditions. Soil management and soil health also play a central role. Practices such as compost application, increasing organic matter, using mulch, and improving soil structure can help water infiltrate better, reduce evaporation and limit salt accumulation in the root zone.’
Irrigation management remains crucial as well. ‘Careful scheduling, appropriate leaching practices and efficient use of available water sources can reduce salt stress and improve crop performance. Salinity therefore calls for a combined approach to soil, water and crops, alongside entrepreneurship. Farmers who weigh investments carefully, use market opportunities, diversify income sources, and keep investing in knowledge are better able to withstand salinity and other production risks.’
‘Farmers are more willing to adopt new technologies or cultivation practices when they can see concrete improvements in costs reduction or income’
Dutch knowledge and opportunities
For the Netherlands, the process builds on a long-standing relationship with Egypt in water, agriculture and delta management. It also offers a clear opportunity for Dutch knowledge institutions and companies to contribute. ‘Dutch experience in integrated water management, drainage, saline agriculture, soil health, climate-smart horticulture and data-driven irrigation can help Egypt move beyond isolated pilots towards solutions that can be applied in practice, across different regions and farming systems,’ says Vermeulen.
The Netherlands Agricultural Network (LAN) team at the Dutch Embassy in Cairo plays an important role in that process. Vermeulen describes the LAN team as a facilitator and connector, ‘helping to turn ideas into concrete initiatives, bringing Egyptian and Dutch actors together, and linking knowledge institutions, companies, programs and government partners.’
That contribution, he stresses, is not only about transferring technology. It is also about combining knowledge, field-level advice, infrastructure, practical irrigation and education. ‘Some of our more ODA-oriented (Official Development Assistance) activities are Farmer Field Schools,’ Vermeulen explains. ‘They are about laying the foundation: capacity development among the local population. In other programs we look more at what we can do in terms of infrastructure. And through combination approaches, we ask whether we can also sell and deploy technology alongside those projects and link it to education.’
A workshop on salinization with the LAN team in Cairo and various stakeholders, including representatives of the Egyptian government
Large farms versus smallholders
This layered approach is important because Egyptian agriculture is developing at different speeds. ‘Larger, professional farms are already adopting Dutch and international technologies, including precision farming, satellite-supported irrigation planning, mechanization, crop protection and monitoring tools. Data on water productivity and evapotranspiration can support better irrigation decisions, especially where farms have the capacity to interpret and use such information.’
For small and medium-sized farmers, however, the main barriers are often different. Affordability, access to advice, finance, trust, and practical applicability determine whether a solution can be used, Vermeulen says. ‘A future roadmap for salinity management therefore needs to include both advanced technologies and more accessible forms of support, such as extension services, demonstration farms, farmer-to-farmer learning, suitable financing mechanisms and locally viable business cases.’
‘Dutch organizations and companies such as Wageningen University & Research, Delphy and Nectaerra contribute expertise in research, field advice, drainage, salinity monitoring, soil improvement, and data-driven farming. The central opportunity is to translate that expertise into a framework that works economically as well as technically. Solutions should contribute to food security, water savings and climate resilience, while also making sense for farmers, companies, and public authorities. A future roadmap can help provide that framework as a common direction that Egyptian actors and international partners can use to coordinate investments, avoid duplication, and scale what works.’
For more information
For more information about how Egypt and the Netherlands are working together to develop a national approach to salinity in Egypt, you can reach out to the LAN team at the Dutch Embassy in Cairo via: kai-lvvn@minbuza.nl