Economic and food security benefits associated with raised-bed wheat production in Egypt

Published Date
May 09, 2018
Type
Journal Article
Economic and food security benefits associated with raised-bed wheat production in Egypt
Authors:
Jeff Alwang
Sami Sabry, Kamel Shideed, Atef Swelam, Habib Halila

Countries in the West Asia and North Africa (WANA) region are dependent on imports of wheat to meet their food security
needs. Mechanized raised-bed wheat production is an effective means of increasing productivity and saving scarce water, but the
technology needs substantial adaptation to local conditions. This paper estimates the economic benefits from a long-term
adaptive research project designed to adapt and promote mechanical raised-bed wheat production in Egypt. The technology
itself is associated with a 25% increase in productivity due to higher yields, 50% lower seed costs, a 25% reduction in water use,
and lower labor costs. The mechanical raised-bed program is now a component of Egypt’s national wheat campaign and it is
estimated that by 2023 approximately 800,000 ha of wheat will be planted with the technology. This paper estimates that over a
15 year project horizon, the benefits will exceed US$ 4 billion, with most of the benefits accruing to more than one million
Egyptian wheat producers. Other benefits include reduced wheat imports (by more than 50% by 2025), reduced dependence on
international commodity markets and increased productivity on more than 200,000 ha of water-starved lands.

Citation:
Jeff Alwang, Sami Sabry, Kamel Shideed, Atef Swelam, Habib Halila. (9/5/2018). Economic and food security benefits associated with raised-bed wheat production in Egypt. Food Security, 10 (49), pp. 1-13.
Keywords:
wheat productivity
technical change
benefits
food security
research for development