WATDEV Local Feedback Meeting in Egypt boosts Climate-Resilient Agriculture

Following the successful Regional Workshop in Egypt, a Local Feedback Meeting was convened on 2 December 2025, at SEKEM Farm in Belbies, Egypt. Organized by Heliopolis University in collaboration with ASARECA, CIHEAM-Bari, and in the presence of AICS Cairo, the meeting aimed to disseminate, discuss and advance the results of the Best Management Practices (BMPs) feasibility studies.

The meeting brought together over 50 participants, including representatives from Zagazig University, Benha University, Water Users Associations, farmer cooperatives, community leaders, and local farmers, together with the WATDEV project partners, creating a strong platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration.

The meeting opened with a welcoming remark from Prof. Wael Khairy, Heliopolis University, emphasizing the urgent need to shift from traditional farming practices towards sustainable approaches to preserve the soil and ensure long-term food security. He also encouraged participants to actively contribute to the discussion and to share the knowledge gained with other farmers in their community. Dr. Gaetano Ladisa, WATDEV Project Manager at CIHEAM-Bari, highlighted that scientific research alone cannot drive change, but that farmers’ knowledge, experience, and ideas are essential for developing practical and sustainable solutions. He stressed the key role of participants in developing practical implementation protocols that can support wider BMPs adoption.

Ms. Concetta Bianco, WATDEV Project Coordinator at AICS Cairo, presented the latest progress of WATDEV project sharing its recent achievements and upcoming implementation steps. This was followed by Mr. Moses Odeke, Interim head of Programme at ASARECA, introducing the meeting’s objectives and underlined the importance of sharing local experiences to validate feasibility findings and support the development of practical BMP implementation protocols.

Focusing on the objectives of the meeting, PhD. student Samar Gomaa from ISRIC, presented the Feasibility Studies findings, analysing BMPs simulations, baseline assessments, and community perceptions on the potential adoption of improved management practices. She highlighted the three BMPs selected in Egypt: manuring, intercropping, and Water Users’ Association (WUA) and their potential to enhance both productivity and crop quality. 

An interactive Q&A session allowed participants to actively engage in the discussion, sharing practical field experiences and propose recommendations on how to maximize land productivity and sustainability. Responding to participants’ interest, the Heliopolis University team provided further technical clarifications on each BMP to ensure a shared understanding of their application and benefits. To further strengthen farmers and community participation, a participatory evaluation session was organised and facilitated by ASARECA and HU. Participants were divided into working groups to jointly assess the feasibility, sustainability considerations, and implementation challenges of the three BMPs. The direct exchange between researchers, farmers and community leaders enriched the dialogue, helping validate the study findings and ground them in the real field experience. 

This was followed by an open discussion session to collect stakeholders’ key inputs to develop BMPs implementation protocols. Through guided questions, WATDEV team captured practical recommendations for the BMPs protocols.  The discussion addressed critical aspects of farm and water management, including water sources, irrigation systems, water quality, crop planting and harvesting, seeds sourcing and certification, compost and organic processing as well as post-harvest handling, storage, and marketing. This discussion ensured applicability, sustainability, and alignment with local constraints and opportunities.

The meeting concluded with the collection of farmers’ perceptions on local water management, through a structured questionnaire prepared by Ms. Claudia Fantini from CIHEAM Bari. These essential bottom-up insights will direclty be used for subsequent WATDEV work packages.

Overall, Egypt Local Feedback Meeting demonstrated the value of participatory, evidence-based decision-making, a cornerstone of WATDEV approach. Funded by the European Union, in the framework of the DeSIRA Initiative, WATDEV strengthened the validation of simulated BMP scenarios aligned with local needs, constraints, and priorities through combining advanced modelling tools with local knowledge and active stakeholder participation.

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