IYWF: In Aswan, women farmers are championing resilience through climate-smart agriculture
10 February 2026. Beneath a blue-pink cloudy sky in El-Edwa village, located in Egypt's Aswan Governorate, farmer Maha Kamel poses for the camera amid her clover field. ©FAO/Ahmed Elsheemy
30/03/2026
As the world marks 2026 as the International Year of the Woman Farmer, global attention turns to women whose daily work feeds communities, protects agricultural biodiversity, and strengthens climate adaptation. In Egypt, women farmers have long stood at the center of rural life, yet remain among the least recognized for their contributions.
In the villages of Aswan, particularly Kom Ombo and its surrounding communities, women navigate social norms, economic constraints, and limited access to resources. Among them is Maha Kamel, a woman farmer whose journey reflects the determination and leadership of a growing number of women transforming agriculture in their communities.
This is the story of Maha Kamel from El-Edwa village, whose path from nursery teacher to Farmer Field School (FFS) facilitator reflects both personal resilience and the broader impact of the climate-smart agriculture project led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Breaking barriers in El-Edwa: Maha’s turning point
In El-Edwa village, women often face restrictions on their basic rights and limited influence over decisions affecting their lives. After enduring difficult personal circumstances, Maha made a bold choice. She sought independence, made the difficult decision to seek a divorce, and dedicated herself to raising her children while building a future centered on education and community service.
Her work with the village nursery, particularly raising awareness among mothers, became her first platform for empowerment. Yet Maha aspired to contribute more. She believed deeply that a woman’s role does not end at home; it extends to the farms, the economy, and the future of her community at large.
10 February 2026. In El-Edwa village, located in the rural district of Kom Ombo in Egypt's Aswan Governorate, Egyptian farmer Maha Kamel (standing-left) leads a Farmer Field School session as a facilitator. ©FAO/Ahmed Elsheemy
Joining FAO’s farmer field schools: A new beginning
When FAO introduced farmer field schools in Aswan under the Global Affairs Canada (GAC)-funded project “Promoting climate-smart agriculture and agricultural biodiversity for enhancing the adaptive capacity of vulnerable rural communities in Upper and Lower Egypt,” Maha immediately sought to join.
To her surprise, she was the only woman in a room full of men. But instead of hesitating, she embraced the challenge.
Through the FFSs, implemented across 36 villages in Aswan, Beheira, and Kafr El-Sheikh, farmers learn hands-on skills in climate-smart agriculture (CSA), biodiversity-friendly practices, and low-emission farming. The project aims to build low-carbon, climate-resilient rural economies, directly benefiting 62 000 people.
Maha’s curiosity, commitment, and discipline quickly set her apart. What began as training soon evolved into leadership, and Maha became one of the FFS facilitators, training other farmers, including male farmers. This was a remarkable achievement in a community where women rarely take on visible leadership roles.
“It wasn’t easy,” she says. “It was a battle between community expectations, family responsibilities and my work. But I knew I was on the right path.”
Her dedication did not go unnoticed. Maha was later recognized as one of the best FFS facilitators under the project.
Driving change through climate-smart agriculture
The project’s FFS model equips farmers with practical, climate-resilient agricultural solutions, and Maha became part of this transformation. Through her participation, she gained practical knowledge and went on to share climate‑smart practices with other farmers, including safer and more efficient pesticide use, water‑saving irrigation techniques, improved soil fertility management, biodiversity‑enhancing farming methods, and better post‑harvest practice and resilient agricultural solutions.
A commitment to community and the future
For Maha, technical knowledge was only part of the journey. The experience, she says, was “enlightening and inspiring.”
She shares her learnings widely within her community, empowering other women and men with techniques that improve productivity and resilience. Now, she is preparing for her next goal: enrolling in the Open University to formally study agriculture.
Her dream is simple yet powerful:
“I want to help women in my village become confident farmers, just like I did.”
As the world celebrates the International Year of the Woman Farmer, Maha stands as a testament to what women can achieve when given the space, skills, and recognition they deserve.
Her journey - from a nursery teacher to a celebrated FFS facilitator - is not only a personal victory but a story of hope for thousands of rural women across Egypt.
Through courage, learning, and leadership, Maha has become a driving force in her community, proving that when women farmers thrive, entire communities flourish.