‘Climate-smart agriculture and modern water management’ is a multiyear collaboration project between HollandDoor and Aeres University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands), the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation (MALR) and educational institutions in Egypt. Despite travel restrictions due to Covid-19, we were able to conduct two on-site training and capacity-building missions in Egypt in December 2020 and March 2021. Forty trainees – representing government bodies, education and the private sector – learned more about soil-, water- and crop-related problems and solutions.
The project is built on best practices in the Netherlands. In the March 2021 mission, Peter Prins (Land, Water & Food Consult), Peter Raatjes (RMA) and other innovators gave a demonstration on how to use sensor technology to optimize crop cultivation. Dutch experts Arjan Reijneveld (Eurofins), Lambertus Vogelzang (Motivaxion) and Hermann Schilt (Aeres University) also gave online contributions. Last but not least, we organized a practical day in the Rijk Zwaan Egypt field station.
In the second half of 2021, we plan to focus on (sub-)irrigation and drainage technologies, water reuse and harvesting, and adaptation and mitigation strategies to tackle the impact of droughts, salinization and extreme weather. We’ll also address the market-driven orientations and social aspects of innovative water management as well as skills development so the participants can share their new knowledge and technologies with Egyptian students and farmers.
This is a so-called ‘Tailor-Made Training’ project, funded under the Orange Knowledge Programme, managed by Nuffic, the Dutch organization for internationalization in education.
For more information, contact Jos Leeters.
