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Globalization Challenges to Egypt’s Production SectorsBox (3.3)The Agricultural Research System in EgyptThe agricultural research system in Egyptstarted as early as 1897 under the RoyalAgricultural Society. Since then, researchand related activities have expandedexponentially. In the early 1980s,Presidential Decree No. 19 established theAgricultural Research Center (ARC) as asemi-autonomous organization for scientificresearch and extension activities.Activities and research conducted by ARCinclude:● Pilot agricultural projects● Training extension engineers and villageagents● Designing and monitoring national cropcampaigns.In the second half of the 1980s, the MOAstarted a comprehensive program toimprove extension services throughredistribution of staff and advanced trainingcourses. The redistribution system set upsome rules, three of which were key forsustainable and effective extension services:● One extension officer for each 200feddans.● Residential extension staff .● Transfer of extension staff throughministerial decreeA second means of improving extensionservices has been through various types oftraining courses using ARC and/oruniversity staff. These courses are plannedto cover all extension employees in theMOA headquarters and regions. Theinsufficient public funds allocated to theseactivities is largely compensated for byforeign donor-funded projects for technologytransfer and training programs, such as ADS,SFPP, EMCIP, NARP, APCP, CAT and UTP.The extension administration improved andstrengthened their staff through three types oftraining: conventional; on-the-job; andoverseas. In addition to ARC, there are othergovernmental research centers, institutes anduniversities which are involved in agriculturalresearch. There are currently 11,407professional scientific staff working in majorEgyptian research organizations in agriculturalscience.In addition to governmental research institutesand universities, there are twenty-two privatesector seed companies and several otherprivate companies involved in agricultural,chemical and pesticide research. However,most of these companies cooperate withgovernmental research staff for the creation ofnew hybrids and pay royalties for utilizingsuch varieties and innovations.Two ministerial decrees, (No.523/1993 andNo.148/199,) were issued in order to helpstrengthen and support linkages amongresearchers in academic communities throughthe establishment of four research extensioncouncils to serve Egypt’s four agriculturalregions. In 1997 ministerial decree No.89established the National Council forAgricultural Research (NCAR), which is incharge of the formulation of a nationalagricultural research policy, and theorganization and finance of agriculturalresearch to serve sustainable agriculturaldevelopment in Egypt. The NCAR isauthorized to supervise activities andfunctions related to research and extensionperformed by the four regional councils.Impact on Human NutritionTable (3.6) shows the nutritional status ofan average Egyptian between 1983 and1996. Despite the increase in populationfrom 47 million in 1983 to around 63.2million in 1996, nutritional status hasimproved in terms of both calories andtotal protein intake. Only one item in thenutritional data, namely the animal proteinintake per capita, did not show any change.It was stable at the level of 13 grams perday, constituting only 10 per cent of totalprotein intake (88 grams). Vegetablesources, mainly cereals, provide theaverage Egyptian with about two-thirds oftheir energy and protein requirements.Increasing the sources of animal protein(fish, poultry, meat, eggs and milk) mustbe of real concern to decision-makers if thenutritional levels of poor people are to beimproved.Increasing the sourcesof animal protein fish,poultry, meat, eggsand milk must be ofreal concern todecision-makers if thenutritional levels ofpoor people are to beimproved.Egypt Human Development Report 2000/2001 - 47