A farmer pauses during work on his farm in Geziret Al-Warraq, an impoverished island that can only be reached by ferry, in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, March 10, 2015 (Photo: AP)
Half of Egypt's farmers, roughly 10 million, own less than 15 percent of the country's agricultural land --a million feddan--, according a report issued on Sunday by the ministry of agriculture.
Each farmer owns between one to four Kirats. The report notes that the figures are influenced by the migration of farmers to cities which followed the crumbling of agricultural possessions and a decline in the rate of production.
The report further states that 43 percent of Egyptians own a total of only 923,638 feddans, while the remaining population owns 5,637,000.
A ministerial source told MENA that the decline of the farmers' share is the main reason behind the growing poverty rates in the countryside and the infringement and building on agricultural lands.
She added that good practice of agriculture is thus challenging and costly when taking place on a small piece of land that already suffers from a lack of soil and water resources.
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