TOWARDS%20A%20SUSTAINABLE%20LIVELIHOODS%20STRATEGY%20for%20Lake%20Nasser

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TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS STRATEGY for
Lake Nasser
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Country Background

• Importance of agricultural sector to the economy
• 50 of farmers do not own land
• 34 of rural population below poverty line
• Fertile soils in the Nile valley
• Agricultural yields among the highest globally
• High proportion of land devoted to export

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Country Background

• MALR reform program since 1986
• Long-term strategy to reclaim 4.3 million feddans
  until 2017
• Capacity for physical reclamation exists
• Lack of social and support services to sustain
  resettlement strategies

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Area Background

• The Aswan High Dam enables
• Control of Nile water
• Conversion of Egyptian agriculture from seasonal
  to perennial irrigation
• Desert reclamation on a massive scale

• Lake Nasser created as one of the largest fresh
  water reservoirs in the world

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Area Background

• Exploitation of the Lake Nasser area slow due to
  remoteness of location
• Government plans to settle 1 million farmers in
  the area by 2017
• Use rights for 15,500 feddans distributed to
  3,100 new settler families

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Problem Analysis

• Beneficiaries from various locations
• Old habits and traditions in farming such as high
  use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers
• Pollution risks to land, water reserves and fish
  in Lake Nasser
• Current lack of infrastructure discourages people
  from settling
• With future improvements, settlers may increase
  leading to higher environmental risks

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THE PROJECT
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Project Goal

• To explore agro-ecology as a sustainable
  livelihoods strategy for improving the
  socioeconomic conditions, health, and livelihoods
  of poor and marginalized settler communities
  living in fragile ecosystems

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Target Area

• New settlements in West of Lake Nasser,
  comprising the areas of
• Kalabsha
• Al Dalil - Shinyara - Khour Abdel-Sayid
• Khor Galal
• Khor Galal proper - Khor Raml - Warawir
• Garf Hussein
• Abo Derwah - Abo State Eliza - Bashayer
  El-Kheir

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Objective
One

• To identify factors affecting the adoption of
  agro-ecology and to develop understanding of its
  potential impact on settler livelihoods and the
  ecosystem.

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Objective
Two

• To establish and support participatory
  community-based management of land and water
  resources based on agro-ecology principles

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Objective
Three

• To identify with communities environmental
  threats to human health and initiate actions with
  stakeholders to mitigate those threats.

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Objective
Four

• To analyze and encourage opportunities for
  environmentally friendly livelihood strategies
  including better access to markets and finance

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Objective
Five

• To derive lessons learned on the applicability,
  benefits, and shortcomings of agro-ecology for
  sustainable livelihoods development through
  policy dialogue and dissemination as large
  efforts to move people to virgin desert lands
  continue.

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ImplementationStrategy
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Implementation Strategy

• Collaborative Community Action (CCA) was selected
  to enable community members to take charge of the
  development initiatives that affect their
  livelihoods. Community members are active
  participants and not just recipients.

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Executive Steps
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Exploratory Visits

• A number of visits were conducted to the area in
  preparation for the project. Visits included
  members of IDRC, CDS and HDLDA as facilitators.

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Stakeholder Analysis

• The different organizations working the area
  were identified and areas of common interests and
  opportunities for cooperation established.

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Organizational Needs Assessment

• Through a series of group activities with HDLDA
  senior staff, the capacity building needs for the
  organization were reflected upon and identified.

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PRA Training

• HDLDA members received a training on PRA
  techniques and joined with the CDS staff to
  design and implement the livelihood diagnosis
  study.

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Livelihood Diagnosis

• CDS field workers, HDLDA engineers and community
  members engaged in PRA activities to analyze the
  areas livelihood status.

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Livelihood Diagnosis
The different community groups residing in the
area were included in the PRA activities to
ensure results were representative.
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Medical Campaign

• Coordination with MoHP resulted in the
  mobilization of the Mobile Clinical Service Unit
  to cater for the needs of the communities.

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Livestock Extension

• Livestock fatalities was one of the major
  economic set backs that affected the community
  due to lack of extension services. This is no
  longer the case.

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Seedling Nursery

• To change their old techniques, farmers need
  readily available alternatives. This was made
  possible with the support of a leading organic
  farming supplier.

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Village Enhancement

• With private sector support, tree planting
  campaigns were executed to add green spaces and
  beauty inside the recently constructed villages.

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For more information contact

• Ali Mokhtar
• Center for Development Services
• 4 Ahmed Pasha St., Garden City
• Cairo, Egypt
• Tel [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• Email cds.prog_at_neareast.org
• Or Afarouk.cds_at_neareast.org