This document presents an overview of the water and agriculture situation in Egypt. It is a compilation of four background papers on farm-level water-management opportunities and challenges in the old lands, new lands, and reclaimed/salt-affected  lands of Egypt. In addition it considers the technical, institutional, and policy aspects of the availability and allocation of water resources in Egypt. The papers were produced following the workshop, ‘On-farm water-use efficiency and water management’, held in Egypt 26‐29 July 2011, which involved a high level delegation from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Egyptian scientists, research  managers, and decision makers, and scientists from the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). The purpose of this working paper is to support the Government of Egypt’s Strategy for Sustainable Agricultural Development towards 2030 (SADS‐2030). This strategy paper was published in 2009 and was concerned with the sustainable use of Egypt’s natural and agricultural resources. Methods to increase land and water productivity, which would consequently raise food  security, improve living standards, and  reduce the poverty of rural inhabitants were also considered.