The Alexandria declaration on the future of Food and Agriculture in Egypt

Concept and background:

Multi-stakeholder processes are gaining grounds worldwide, as many institutions realized the
importance of involving different actors in the decision making process to ensure democracy
and that the different groups of those affected by those decisions will not be left behind.

Globally as well as nationally, there are so many threats to food security and dignified
livelihoods that are more tangible than ever. The recent floods in Alexandria are the most
vivid and recent example, hence the choice of Alexandria, as one of the most threatened areas,
and being the second most important city in Egypt. Experts have been talking about the
impacts of climate change, sustainability, with the term sustainability holding very little
meaning to Egyptians if at all.

The idea of this declaration is to involve as many actors as possible, pool ideas from all
available resources to chart an action plan, with actionable solutions to the problems we are
facing today and those that are likely to surge in the near future.

Agriculture has been the original activity of the dwellers of the Nile valley, a friendly
environment that has been home to a long human civilization. Today this environment has
been abused by urban sprawl and the subsequent pollution, water scarcity, desertification,
loss of biodiversity to mention but a few environmental problems. The most pressing problem
is the deterioration of the lifestyle of the average Egyptian, as Cairo, the capital becomes one
of the most stressful places to live. We need a huge and diligent movement to safeguard the
most important resource in Egypt, the human resource. This need stems from success stories
where the lives of individuals as well as entire nations have radically changed when their
relationship to the food they produce and consume changed towards a higher consciousness
of the consequences of human behaviour as well as the opportunities and threats of nature.

Objectives:

1) Co-create a historical document that is binding to all present and future decision
makers that recognizes food as a human right in accordance with Article 79 of the
Egyptian constitution, and specifies a code of conduct regarding natural resources, and
delivery of human rights.
2) Enact a new agrarian reform policy that corresponds to current challenges.
3) Foster a first of its kind multi-stakeholder process regarding food and agriculture in
Egypt, capitalize on the different voices, and the lessons learnt during the last decades.
4) Perform a health check for the current state of agriculture and natural resource
management in Egypt.
5) Building trust among different stakeholder groups.

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Proposed timeline:

Through a series of workshops titled: Future of Food in Egypt during the first half of 2016.
These workshops will be organized to target individual stakeholder groups. In other words,
each of the following groups will have a separate workshop.

Intergovernmental organizations: will be invited to sponsor these events in terms of the

content, technical support and organizing the workshops. Including FAO, IFAD, WFP.
Private sector: Particularly exporters, agro-food industry, service providers.
Local value chain actors: producers for local market, wholesalers and retailers, other
intermediaries.
Small scale actors: includes smallholders, fisher-folk, pastors, ethnic minorities, peasants.
Public authorities: representatives of the ministries of agriculture, environment, health,
supplies, planning, housing, water and irrigation, and relevant public institutions.
Civil society: Local NGOs that are active in areas related to food and farming, environmental
activists, individuals not belonging to the other groups but active in the field.
International aid: Different foreign aid agencies with a track record for managing
development projects in Egypt. These include Europaid, Cooperazione Italiana, GTZ, JAICA,
DANIDA, USAID to mention but a few. Actors such as NORAD and SIDA may be invited to
contribute with their view points.
Universities and schools: Faculties of agriculture, arts (social sciences, history), science
(botany, environment, geology) and Institutions for agricultural vocational training (post
middle school)
Research institutes: Desert research institute, national research institute, agricultural
research institute, water and irrigation research institute… etc.

For each of these groups a separate workshop will be organized, according to the best-suited
participatory method for each of these groups participants will:
 Share their views on the most issues, their causes and consequences.
 Discuss the desired scenarios and how to get there
 Engage in multi-stakeholder working groups (next step)

The main lessons learnt and conclusions from stakeholder group meetings will be published
and shared on a website, through social media and in specialized newspapers (e.g. Al Ahram al
Zirai) so that other stakeholder groups get to comment on and discuss these conclusions.

A zero draft will be published, and available for comments through public consultations
online.

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Multi-stakeholder working groups

During the first phase, workshops will allow participants to divide into working groups to
discuss the following themes:

 Land tenure: one of the most problematic issues, which has been subject of several
reforms, yet land tenure is still problematic.

 Water allocation: The most important issue, water allocation has beenproblematic for
small holders especially during summer, in addition to other threats.

 Landscape and territorial management: the Nile valley is a particular landscape, but
due to urban sprawl, land tenure issues, poverty an other socioeoconomic conditions
that caused agriculture to be an unattractive profession in Egypt. A territorial approach
towards ecologically adapted production and cultural solidarity are needed to improve
agro-ecosystems and communities around them. A key issue will be rehabilitation of
natural landscapes that have been degraded due to pollution and urban sprawl. The
territorial element redefines the role of local actors as shareholders of the same asset.

 Biodiversity, wildlife and seeds: diverse diets, resilient ecosystems, climate adapted
food crops, are just a few of the positive externalities of maintaining biodiversity.
Biodiversity loss is an issue that is seldom addressed. Farmers do not select and save
seeds as they used to, pollution has damaged biodiversity in soils, water and wildlife.
Having a balanced wildlife, and web of various trophic relationships is key to a resilient
ecosystem that can restore its functionality even with climatic fluctuations.
Biodiversity extends also to land use patterns, and multifunctional farming.

 Food waste: A global issue, and the main culprit for insufficiency of wheat production
in Egypt. Food distribution, storage, infrastructure choice of what to produce as well as
consumption patterns are all issues that need to be addressed simultaneously to
reduce food waste, and guarantee that good food gets delivered to those who need it.

 Rural poverty and social innovation: poverty in the Egyptian countryside reflects in
the absence of infrastructure and basic services especially in upper Egypt. We need
smart effective, and innovative solutions to create a positive social impact as soon as
possible, and at the same time allowing for progress and long term solutions to
emerge.

 Food sovereignty: Like many of the concepts discussed today in the international
arena, food sovereignty as a term is not yet present in the Egyptian discourses related
to food. We cannot achieve self sufficiency, as many experts have concluded after
working in Egypt, especially in our most important staple crop: Wheat. Today we
import much of our wheat from abroad, which could adapt to our climatic conditions,
yet, may have unknown impacts on our diets. Revalorizing old crop varieties, ancient
and traditional foods, and revisiting our diets could be a way to rehabilitate our natural
and social ecosystems, and be synergistic to the resilience of both ecosystems.

 Gender and rural women: In many cases, the real chef d’entreprise in small scale farm
holdings is the woman, the wife and the mother. Many rural women in developing

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 countries have been able to take their families out of poverty, educate their children
and secure food for their households when given access to technical and financial
support through various mechanisms for financing and training. Enabling the Egyptian
rural woman to be an entrepreneur and a producer will revive local economies, and
generally benefit the younger generations.

 Education, training, and youth: There is no estimate when exactly has agriculture
become an unattractive professions, with all the rapid socioeconomic/socio-political
shifts that took place in Egypt during the last seven decades. Agricultural training and
education should equip the youth with the entrepreneurial, design and nature skills in
addition to technical knowledge and hands on practice. New technologies, innovation
strategies, agroecology, environmental design should be included in these curricula
and updated continuously.

Food in the cities: There are estimates that by the year 2030, two thirds of the world
population will live in the city, a matter which calls for revisiting urban design, how
people obtain their food, food quality, distribution and integrate urban farming within
the city architecture. Urban sprawl has destroyed vast areas of fertile agricultural land.
Consumers do not trust processed foods, even if they continue to purchase it for their
prices, and same applies for fruits and vegetables that have been produced
conventionally using chemical inputs. Organic produce is still a niche products, and the
quantities available in retail points are limited. Fast food and street food do not offer
healthy dietary options, which calls for revisiting the “foodsheds” in the city.

Other agenda items could emerge throughout the process. This effort is a collaborative effort,
which is an appeal to all participants to refrain from pointing fingers with accusation to other
parties, it is an opportunity for different actors to understand one another and harmonize
their activities in a manner that benefits all.

A final workshop will be held by the end of 2016 or the beginning of 2017. The conclusions
drawn from the work of the different working groups will be discussed, and an action plan
will be drafted, and voted upon by the participants, and the public. The final document will be
announced at the end of the workshops, and participants will be invited to sign on the same
day. Signatories will pledge to implement the items of this strategic action plan through their
line of work. This pact should be binding and effective immediately.

Funding:
A Fund will be created to support projects under the terms of the Alexandria Declaration, and
will be strictly monitored by a committee of representatives of different stakeholder groups,
in addition to a panel from different donor countries, that will be accountable for all inputs
and outputs. Biannual reports will cover expenses, results, measure progress, and identify
new opportunities as well as approve action for new threats within the principles mentioned
in the declaration. The Egyptian government will commit to contributing to the fund, as well
as to the biannual report.