Egypt signs US$64.85 million IFAD deal for climate-resilient irrigation

Egypt Signs US$64.85 Million IFAD Deal for Climate-Resilient Irrigation

Egypt and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have signed a US$64.85 million financing agreement for a project aimed at improving water management and strengthening the resilience of small-scale farmers in the Nile Valley.

The Climate-Resilient On-Farm Water Management in the Nile Valley (CROWN) project is intended to help farmers use water more efficiently, improve agricultural production and adapt to the effects of climate change.

The agreement was signed on November 2, 2026, alongside a separate US$470,000 grant for the Positioning Egypt for Agricultural Resilience and Leadership (PEARL) project.

According to IFAD, the two agreements are intended to support small-scale farmers while strengthening Egypt's role in sharing agricultural expertise across Africa and the Middle East.

The CROWN project focuses on improving water management at farm level, an important issue for a country where agriculture depends heavily on irrigation from the Nile.

The financing is expected to support improvements in irrigation and drainage systems, alongside measures to strengthen farmers' capacity to manage water resources.

The agreement comes as countries across North Africa face growing pressure to improve water efficiency amid climate change, population growth and competing demands for limited freshwater resources.

However, the success of the project will depend on how the financing is translated into infrastructure and services that farmers can access, as well as the long-term maintenance of the systems.

Egypt signs US$64.85 million IFAD deal for climate-resilient irrigation