FOOD SECURITY ACTION PLAN FOR THE EGYPT KHALED SOBHY NASSAR ERASMUS MUNDUS FOOD OF LIFE PROJECT OF SUMMER SCHOOL 2013 IN HELSINKI

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1 FOOD SECURITY ACTION PLAN FOR THE EGYPT KHALED SOBHY NASSAR ERASMUS MUNDUS FOOD OF LIFE PROJECT OF SUMMER SCHOOL 2013 IN HELSINKI 1

2 Table of Contents 1-summary of the action plan personal introduction working method and selection of the Egypt 6 4- Food security problems in Egypt 8 5- Knowledge and technologies that can be applied to solve food security issues in the Egypt Options incorporated into Action Plan Action Plan of Food Security in Egypt ( ) References 14 Table of figures Figure (1). Food and Beverage price index..5 Figure (2). Net food production by region (In the state of food and agriculture, FAO, Roma, 2012) Figure (3).Total cereal production and imports in Egypt 7 Figure (4).The evaluation a average of individual share of red meat, poultry and fish at national level during the period ( ) 8 Figure (5). Total production and total consumption of milk and its products Figure (6). Action plan of Consumer sector (Method, Set Time, Objectives and Risk Analysis)...12 Figure (7). Action plan of Animal sector (Method, Set Time, Objectives and Risk analysis) 13 Figure (8). Action plan of crop production sector (Method, Set Time, Objectives and Risk analysis)

3 1- Summary of the action plan. This report aims at providing a structured Action Plan targeting at solving some food security problems in the Egypt. It gives an overview of the current food security situation, urgent problematic issues and possible solutions of addressing them. The action plan will be implemented in the period from January 2014 until December The time frame is divided into three sections, short-term actions (1-2 years) medium-term actions (3-5 years) and long-term actions (6-10 years) furthermore, all proposed actions will begin at the same time but with variable periods. Action plan consists of three sectors crop, animal and consumer sector, where each sector displayed through Method, Set Time, Objectives and Risk Analysis. 3

4 2. Personal introduction My name is Khaled Sobhy Nassar, 3 rd intake EMFOL (Erasmus Mundus Food of Life) student from Egypt. I have a bachelor degree (add the name of the subject) in Food and Dairy Science & Technology department from Faculty of Agriculture, University of Alexandria, Damanhour Branch, Egypt. I have been operating as a Demonstrator from March, 2008 in the same University. I am interested in Dairy Science & Technology with aspect of the food production chain. I have studied several courses in Dairy science and attended numerous trainings such as ISO 9001 and HACCP; therefore I decided to apply for Erasmus Mundus Food of Life program, which focuses on animal-derived foods. During the first year of my EMFOL studies at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala (SLU), Sweden, I have studied variety of Food and Animal Science related subjects. I took courses in Basic nutrition, Biology of lactation, Protection and welfare of animals, Cattle production and Animal food science. Most of the courses were accompanied by study visits to various research institutes and animal farms, with additional presentations from representatives of companies and lecturers from collaborating universities. This has allowed me to gain a better understating of different aspects of animal production, focusing on every single step from stable to table. Currently I am on my second year of master studies at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. I am studying courses of Food Animal Biotechnology and Introduction to Dairy Technology, after which I will take a course in Chemical Food Safety, and then start to write my master thesis, which will focus on High Pressure Processing and its Impact on Milk Proteins. Egypt is the most populated Arab country, comprising of 91 million populations till August 2012, and geographically placed in the northeast corner of the continent of Africa. Its total land area is about one million square km 1. Owing to the shrinking cultivated area and limited water resources has enhanced the risk of food security in Egypt. Cropping area is diminishing day by day, due to extreme land deterioration, loss of vegetation and soil moisture. Desertification is happening on both sides of the Nile River, a foremost agricultural zone, as the Eastern and Western Deserts intrude inwards. Additionally, ongoing escalation in temperature and evaporation rates is presenting different challenges for food production 3. 4

5 Environmental conditions through agricultural areas of Egypt seem to be fluctuating, making the land less productive. The altering global climate, which worsens existing environmental variations, is projected to have severe concerns for Egypt s food security 3. Food security is enhancing in Egypt. Hasty population rise have led to the construction of new housing areas on the fertile strip of cultivated land which surrounds the River Nile, greatly decreasing the productivity of the agricultural sector. Equally, this growth in population has amplified demand for food 2. Egypt s dependence on global food markets means, it is at least partly at the whim of international events outside its own control (Egypt imports almost 40% of its food), which in turn upsurge the food price, because of increasingly expensive food supplies put pressure on households with less incomes, resulting basic nutrition unaffordable for the 42% of the Egyptian population, who are living below the poverty line. 2, 3. Figure (1) Food and Beverage price index 4. 5

6 3. Working method and selection of the Egypt. The group consisted of five members of Egypt, Mexico, Germany and Serbia. The discussion included presentation of food security situation in each of the above mentioned countries, their current problems, needs and some solutions. Global Food Security Index was used for studying and analyzing between food security situations in each country. According to Global Food Security Index from July 2012 rank Egypt is on 56th position, Mexico on 30th position, Germany is 11th position and Serbia on 49th position. 5. GFSI is a helpful comparative tool and its category that are evaluated and marked comprise of food availability, food quality security and factors for example, percent of household expenses on food, subsidies to agriculture sector, infrastructure development and so on. In EU, the main aim is keep maximum security in whole food chain because of uniform legislations. Egypt has more problems such as the Egyptian individual is still suffering from malnutrition and unbalanced essential nutrients like caloric value, proteins, and fat content. Also, there is a marked difference between rural and urban areas in food consumption and food lacks self-sufficiency. Figure (2) Net food production by region (In the state of food and agriculture, FAO, Roma, 2012) 6. 6

The availability of surface freshwater resources in Egypt is a major challenge because of the limited annual freshwater quota from the Nile of 55.

7 The availability of surface freshwater resources in Egypt is a major challenge because of the limited annual freshwater quota from the Nile of 55.5 km 3 / year, at the same time the average population mass doubled during the last 30 years thus there are two basic strategies are possible: importing food or growing more food for meeting the increased food needs 7. Egypt is the largest wheat importer in the world, where the cereal importer requirements for the current marketing year 2013/2014 are put at about 15.4 million tonnes which means about 16% higher than last year 8. Poverty rates (people living under the poverty line) increased in Egypt by about 3.29 % during the past 10 years, where people do not have enough food which lead to Malnutrition resulting from unbalanced essential nutrients or Lack of dietary diversity where the diets of poor populations are based on starchy staples with little animal products and few fresh fruits and vegetables.. In addition to, Egypt still suffers from high illiteracy rates, weak education and health systems, and unemployment (especially among young Egyptians) 12. Figure (3).Total cereal production and imports in Egypt 8. 7

4- Food security problems in Egypt. According to FAO, 2012.

8 4- Food security problems in Egypt. According to FAO, Food security definition is A situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an attractive and healthy life 9. Egypt is the most populated Arab country which a population of 91 million in August 2012, and direct consequence of the increase of population is a rising demand for food. Agricultural is the main source of food and some basic raw materials for industrial development. It accounts for almost 18-20% of the Egyptian gross domestic production, for about 17-19% of export earning and employs 32% of the workforce 10. The problem of providing food of animal protein is very important because it is one of the components of the major food necessary for nutrition and the maintenance of health and the access to sources of animal protein from several resource such as red meat, poultry and fish, it is associated with the demand by increasing population, increasing expenditure income and the level of awareness of health and nutrition of the population 11. In 2011, the average yearly capita protein consumption in Egypt was Kg/capita/year from red meat, Kg/capita/year from poultry and Kg/capita/year from fish 10. Figure (4).The evaluation a average of individual share of red meat, poultry and fish at national level during the period ( ) 10. 8

Milk and Dairy products are rich foods in many nutrients such as protein, minerals, glucose and vitamins, that may be enhancing health and beneficial in preventing different diseases.

9 Milk and Dairy products are rich foods in many nutrients such as protein, minerals, glucose and vitamins, that may be enhancing health and beneficial in preventing different diseases. Milk is considered the cheapest animal protein source and important resource for some related transformation industries and provides employment opportunities for a large number of small producers in both rural and urban areas 13. Total milk production in the Middle East and North Africa increased from about million tons in 1990 to about million tons in On the other hand the milk consumption in the Middle East and North Africa increased from about thousand tons in 1990 to about thousand tons in 2008, approximately an increase of 68% 13. Egypt in 1998, about 20% out of total milk production was consumed directly on the farms, 70% was processed by small firms to produce milk, cheese and other products and about 10% was used by modern industries processed. Cheese is the most important dairy product in Egypt where almost 50% of milk production and imports of skimmed powered milk are used for producing cheese and the consumption of cheese is estimated to be 6 kilos/year/inhabitant (AECI, 1999). Egypt s per capita milk consumption is among the lowest in the world, at 21.8kg per annum in 2010, significantly lower than that of developed markets and other emerging economies, such as India and Brazil. The Egyptian dairy sector has strong growth potential amid strong population growth and rising per capita income levels 14. Figure (5) Total production and total consumption of milk and its products

10 5- Knowledge and technologies that can be applied to solve food security issues in the Egypt. The introduction of modern technology in the manufacture of dairy in Egypt is working to reduce the price and promotes domestic consumption of dairy products. Addition to interest manufactures dairy products containing probiotics and prebiotics which have many health benefits, pay attention to production of fermented and lactose-free milk products which would be a solution for lactose intolerant people and applying hygiene and safety programmes during, pre and post manufacturing. Using modern milking technology such as automatic milking systems (AM-systems) where the introduction of automatic milking has a large impact on the farm and affects all aspects of dairy farming. Automatic milking leads to reduce labor and increase milk yields due to more frequent milking thus may lead to a decrease at the fixed costs per kg milk. Automatic milking does not negatively affect on Animal health and welfare through a teat cleaning and separation of abnormal milk. On the other hand, automatic milking systems working on assure quality control (milk quality and food safety) 19. Meat preservation in the Egypt is not a common practice, therefore it is recommended to implement a range of preservation techniques in meat processing plants. This includes the different types of smoking for example cold smoking and hot smoking; curing of the meat. Estimates indicate that properly smoked meat products such as sausages can be stored in a dry cool place for long time up to a year compared with uncured, fresh meat Options incorporated into Action Plan. Buffalo represents the main source of milk production in Egypt, where it contributes more than 50 % of the annual output of the milk production in Egypt 16. The Egyptian consumer is preferred Buffalo's milk where its richness and sensory attributes therefore, buffalo's milk gets almost double the price cow's milk in the local market. That is mean increasing demand for buffalo milk in Egypt but, buffaloes are low milk producers compared to the dairy breeds of cows in Egypt. The application of new biotechnological treatments such as recombinant combined somatotropin, supported by appropriate nutrition and herd management can be feasible alternatives for buffalo milk production where, breeding and genetic selection, failed to increase high amount

11 of milk produced by buffaloes as it did for cows 17. In addition to buffalo is a good source for meat where it is higher than beef protein content which helps to reduce protein malnutrition gap in Egypt. The food chain s safety is indirectly affected by the welfare of animals, predominantly those farmed for food production; due to the close links between animal s welfare, its health and food-borne diseases. The welfare of food producing animals depends largely on how they are managed by humans. A range of factors can impact on their welfare including housing and bedding, space and crowding, transport conditions, stunning and slaughter methods, castration of males and tail docking. Through workshops with local and international experts could be improve animal health and welfare 18. There is a problem of water lack in Egypt that could be use some processes to address this problem for example to make better use of irrigation water by using modern irrigation methods, crops low in water consumption, agriculture in greenhouses, and as well as through desalination of sea water, where the Mediterranean and the Red Sea in Egypt surrounding the north and east, respectively, but this method is very expensive way. Increase the productivity of cereal crops is one of the most important solutions that require Egypt to meet the problem of food security, particularly with the increase in high population density through, the use of genetic modification of crops, particularly wheat crop where, Egypt is one of the largest importer of wheat in the world. These genetic modifications include reducing water consumption or production of crops resistant to the conditions of dry farming, high temperatures, and lack of water, disease, insect injury and resistance to soil salinity. In addition to other crops such as corn, where it is possible to mix corn flour with wheat flour for bread manufacturing and this provides the amount of wheat that could be imported. Health education and health monitoring for Childhood and Motherhood to reduce malnutrition through the work of workshops for women to teach them the basics of nutrition for children and mothers in addition to care pre- and postnatal. 11

7-Action Plan of Food Security in Egypt (2014 2023). Action Plan is based on the above measures where, they serve the action plan by selecting the targets and implementation within a timeframe.

12 7-Action Plan of Food Security in Egypt ( ). Action Plan is based on the above measures where, they serve the action plan by selecting the targets and implementation within a timeframe. The action plan will be implemented in the period from January 2014 until December The time frame was divided into three sections, short-term actions (1-2 years) medium-term actions (3-5 years) and long-term actions (6-10 years) via task force In addition, all proposed actions will begin at the same time but with variable periods. Action plan consists of three sectors (crop, animal and consumer sector), where each sector displayed through (Method, Set Time, Objectives and Risk Analysis) in figure six, seven and eight. Figure (6). Action plan of Consumer sector (Method, Set Time, Objectives and Risk analysis). 12

13 Figure (7). Action plan of Animal sector (Method, Set Time, Objectives and Risk analysis). Figure (8). Action plan of crop production sector (Method, Set Time, Objectives and Risk analysis ( 13

14 8- References related:thinkafricapress.com/egypt/food-security-most-pressing-issue-new-government food security problems in Egypt. 3- Jay Vella, The Future of Food and Water Security in New Egypt. Published by Future Directions International Pty Ltd. 80 Birdwood Parade, Dalkeith WA 6009, Australia. 4- Central Agency for public mobilization and statistics, 2011.Household Income Expenditure and Consumption survey FAO. The state of food and agriculture. (FAO, Rome, 2012) Hamza W., Mason S. Water availability and food security challenges i n Egypt. In: Hamdy A. (ed.), Monti R. (ed.). Food security under water scarcity in the Middle East: Problems and solutions. Bari: CIHEAM, p (Option s Méditerranéen nes : Série A. Sémin aires Méditerranéen s; n. 65) 9- FAO; Committee on world food security (the website of the central Agency for public Mobilization and statistics). 11- Gaber Bassyouni and ELsayed Hashem,2003.Economical for the elements of the red neat Gap in Arab Republic of Egypt, Egyptian Journal of agriculture economics, Vol.13, NO.2, June, Cairo, Egypt. 12- The status of poverty and food security in Egypt: Analysis and policy recommendations. Preliminary Summary Report Maitah, M. and, Smutka, L., Economic analysis of milk production and consumption in the Middle East and North Africa. Acta univ. agric. et silvic. Mendel. Brun., LX, No. 4, pp Seham Dawoud,.2005.An analysis of food consumption patterns in Egypt. 16- Agriculture economic institute Ministry of agriculture; Dokki; Egypt; in Arabic. 17- Etherton, T.D. and Bauman, D.E., Biology of somatotropin growth and lactation of domestic animals. Physiol. Rev., 78(3):

15 Meskens, L. and Mathijs, E., Socio-economic aspects of automatic milking; Motivation and characteristics of farmers investing in automatic milking systems. Deliverable D2 from EU project Implications of the introduction of automatic milking on dairy farms (QLK ), 20 Toth K. and Pothhast K.1984.Chemical aspects of the smoking of meat and meat products. Advances in Food Research vol

The Future of Food and Water Security in New Egypt

22 November 2012 The Future of Food and Water Security in New Egypt Jay Vella Research Analyst Key Points Fifteen million Egyptians do not earn a sufficient income to purchase an adequate level of nutrition.