From technical consultations to public-private policydialogue, FAO’s work with the Egyptian Government and partners on Egypt’s wheat sector is leading to greater efficiency, regulatory changes and an environment more conducive to private sector investment. Egypt is one of the world’s largest wheat importers, owing to its limited agricultural land. Almost two-thirds of the total wheat supply is used to produce baladi bread, a staple flatbread.

In a suburb area of Heliopolis, about 15 km from Cairo, Latif plants eggplant, spinach, cabbage, oranges, mandarins, parsley, dill, lettuce, tomato and, occasionally, cucumbers. He 'employs' two scarecrows dressed in traditional Egyptian attire to keep away raptors and other birds that come to steal his prized vegetables.

Om Waheed has grown up daughters and toddlers in Koftan, Beni Sueif governorate. She heard about the “revolving fund” of FAO’s project on nutrition and got interested. She participated in training sessions provided by the project on nutrition, animal rearing and micro-project management. The revolving fund targets women who have children mostly under the age of five and aims at improving the nutrition value of meals as well as at increasing the household revenue and eventually the standard of living.

Soumaya, a mother of three who lives in Aswan, heard about the Community Nutrition Kitchen for the first time from her best friend Nassra who is very socially active in her community – Edfu. Nassra was the community leader that FAO relied on to mobilize women and youth to participate in the Italian funded project “Improving Household Food and Nutrition Security in Egypt”.