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New lease of life for Egyptian farmers

Rural areas in the Nile Valley severely lack proper sewage systems and are contaminating Egypt's groundwater as a result. Sarah Kamshoshy/IRIN
In one of the world's most water-scarce regions, experts have introduced modern methods of making better use of River Nile water.

Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation in partnership with the World Bank, German aid agency KfW and the Netherlands government collaborated to set up a pilot project in a 6,000-acre area of Kafr El Sheik Governorate where farmers were taught modern techniques – such as how to manage new pumping and water control systems - which resulted in water being used far more efficiently and effectively, boosting crop yields and farmers’ incomes.

Following the successful completion of the project, its techniques have been rolled out over more than 500,000 acres of land across the Nile Delta, according to the World Bank, significantly reducing water loss and lowering operating costs.

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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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