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| | (Abdel Aal, Mohammed.(2002). Women in Agriculture. Unpublished Background Paper) |
| | Both males and females start to participate in farming activities at an early age (about 5-9 years )the level of female participation increases at the same rate as male participation. In the age group (30-34) years female participation increases significantly as most male households seek job opportunities outside agriculture as a result of the limited size of the family house holding. |
| Women participation in agricultural operations in lower Egypt |
| | Agricultural operations | Percentage of women participation | Plowing | 20.5% | Leveling | 18.1% | Hoeing | 32.7% | Irrigation | 25.8% | Cultivation | 63.8% | Fertilizing | 62.8% | Animal Production and Harvesting | 67%
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| | Women participation in agricultural operations in upper Egypt |
| | Agricultural operations | Percentage of women participation | Plowing | 15.1% | Leveling | 11.7% | Hoeing | 13.1% | Animal Production and Harvesting | 94.3%
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| | Women Access to Agricultural Productive Assets: |
| Women access to land |
| In spite of the significant women participation in agricultural activities however their access to and control of land is limited. Overall female holders represent only 5.72% of the total number of landholders in Egypt . Females of lower Egypt enjoys the highest share across regions constituting 7.28% of the total land holders of Lower Egypt , They hold 6.1% of the cultivated area while in Upper Egypt , female share reaches 3.87 % only and in border governorates, the percentage reaches 4.56% and women hold 4.1% of the cultivated area. |
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| Women access to credit |
| The Principal Bank of Development and Agriculture credit (PBDAC) is the main provider of agricultural credit in Egypt Traditionally, women in rural areas are not major beneficiaries of the PBDAC. They constitute one third of the borrowers of short-term loans and 22.5% of medium-term loans .Women have a very limited share in long-term loans with only one female borrower out of 26 agricultural long-term borrowers .On the other hand, female share of the youth loans has risen reflecting an increase in the access of female youth to credit services. |
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| Women access to agricultural information and technology |
| | In general, it can be said that women have a limited access to the agricultural information and technology and extension services offered by the central administration of agricultural extension services (CAAES). |
| | This could be traced to many reasons among which are the following: |
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| Extension Services are mainly offered to the strategic crops such as :maize, cotton ,wheat ,rice. Such crops are male dominated , while vegetables and fruits crops which represent the major female participation receive limited extension services. |
| The extension program directed to rural women focus mainly on home economics information and skills , providing women with information on sewing, jam and pickles making, and poultry raising. The program completely ignores other women tasks related to farming and animal production. |
| The female extension workers constitute only 3.3% of the total agricultural agents (AEAs) . Even this limited number is not willing to spend much effort and time in extending agricultural information and technology to other women. In addition, the unfavorable working conditions , limited incentives , lack of means of transportation and the limited female extension mobility add to the difficulties facing this activity. |
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| | Obstacles that hinder active women participation in agriculture could be summarized in 3 main problems: |
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| Limited access to the main productive assets: land- credit- capital and technical information. |
| Limited access to training opportunities, which include: extension services, literacy ,and advisory services. |
| Most rural women suffer from a double burden , being engaged in several income generating activities besides their household responsibilities which comes at the expense of their health – well being and productivity. |
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| | Fact sheet: Women, Agriculture and Rural Development. Egypt. 1996 |
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| A synthesis report of the Near East Region - Women, agriculture and rural development. Prepared under the auspices of FAO's Programme of Assistance in Support of Rural Women in Preparation for the Fourth World Conference on Women, and the Regional Plan of Action for Women in Agriculture in the Near East (RPAWANE 2000) |
