In the village of Nabraweya, about a three-and-a-half-hours’ drive from Egypt’s capital Cairo, farmers vividly remember what a struggle it was to grow food. "The traders used to give us infested seeds,” recalls Mohammed Abd El Hady Abd El Aziz Badawy, a bean farmer. “They sold me potassium and nitrate fertilizers for 450 Egyptian pounds, even though the market price was 200. Our lands could barely yield a ton per faddan," he says, referring to the Egyptian equivalent of an acre.
All that changed in 2023, when Mohammed entered into an agreement with the Egyptian Food Bank (EFB) to become one of their bean suppliers. As part of the arrangement, he receives high-quality white bean seeds, fertilizers, and training in how to improve his production. Within the first year, he already saw his land's productivity double to 2 tons per acre, he says.
He is one of 350 small farmers in the coastal governorate of Beheira who is taking part in the initiative to grow high-quality bean crops that will be used in the food packages the EFB provides to families. It’s designed as a win-win that injects new skills and clean inputs into the farming sector, while keeping families across the country food secure.
"[The EFB] provided us with potassium and nitrate, and the agricultural guide taught us to irrigate correctly," Mohammed says about some of the guidance he received.
He and other farmers in the project now use drip irrigation, which saves water and fertilizer – a win for the environment, too.
"One sack of fertilizer now lasts for five applications instead of two, and we save 800 litres of water with each irrigation cycle," Mohammed says excitedly.
Rather than feeling exploited, he now feels hopeful, he says.
Beyond hope, he’s gained the stability that comes with having a regular buyer and steady income. And that provides security to his family of four. It also gives them some disposable income to save and make improvements in their lives.
At the start of the project, they were living in a small hut made of reeds. Thanks to the extra income, they were able to upgrade their home with concrete.
"The traders used to mistreat us,” Mohammed sums up, “but now I love the land again."
