Making the Desert Bloom: Egypt’s Ambitious Land Reclamation Projects
Ever since the 1800s, there have been some sort of ongoing land reclamation projects in Egypt. After all, over 95% of the country is covered by deserts, thus, over 120 million human beings--approximately 113 million Egyptians plus millions of foreigners--currently live in an area the combined size of the Benelux countries of Europe. That is, less land combined than in Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Once you subtract the necessary living space plus commercial and office buildings, highways, parking lots and other asphalt and concrete, the remaining cultivable land...simply shrinks.
Photo credit above: A 2021 satellite image of Egypt's population-dense Nile Delta region where millions of Egyptians live in densely-packed cities
Uploaded to Adobe by Christian Pauchert AdobeStock photo ID: 436206936
The National Challenge: Egypt's Population is Growing at 1.5% a Year, While Arable Land Has Been Constantly Paved Over for More Highways and Housing
A century of rapid Egyptian population growth and urbanization, with increasing demand for food, has forced Egypt to look well beyond existing farmlands. In recent decades, Egypt's heavy reliance on Gulf-subsidized grain imports from Russia and the Ukraine, plus other imported foodstuffs, and the lack of sufficient domestic resources to match population growth have been considered existential threats if left unchecked. There's a major economic and social burden on the Egyptian state, with bread subsidies and gentle urging by the government for a two or three-child ideal population replacement-level family size.
Egypt is Highly Reliant on Imported Food, While Exporting Cash Crops, Such as Cotton
During the 1800s, Muhammed Ali Pasha, considered the founding father of modern Egypt, implemented large-scale irrigation projects for the purpose of expanding agricultural production. Since he focused on cash crops, which helped fund his army and its expansions into Africa, as well the wars of liberation against the Ottoman Empire. From the mid-19th century construction of the Suez Canal until the 1950s, no serious consideration was given to irrigation projects until the 1952 revolution, in which the Egyptian State considered it a top priority, constructing—with Soviet assistance—some marvels of engineering in those times, such as the Aswan Dam.
The Aswan Dam on the Nile Solved Some Problems, But Created Others
The Dam was completed in 1970, it provides a steady supply of water for irrigation and generates hydroelectric power, while mitigating the risks of Nile flooding that had inundated Egyptians for millennia. This has allowed for more controlled and reliable agricultural development in the country. However, while the Aswan Dam significantly boosted Egypt’s agricultural capacity, it also created new challenges, such as reduced sediment deposition in the Nile Delta and increased soil salinity.
Dust storms photographed in Cairo, 2022. Photos by Chinese news agency Xinhua, published on the Global Times website
President Sisi Expands the Toshka Projects Initiated During the 1990s Under President Mubarak
More projects were initiated in the 1990s, such as the Toshka Projects, also known as the New Valley Project. This was launched in the late Nineties under President Hosni Mubarak. The project’s goal was to create a new agricultural and industrial hub in the southwestern desert, using water diverted from Lake Nasser via the Toshka Canal. While it's still ongoing and already has borne some fruit, this ambitious project is not near completion, and suffered significant setbacks, including delays, high costs, and challenges with water salinity and soil quality. Despite these obstacles, the project has seen renewed interest under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, with efforts to address its shortcomings and attract investment from both domestic and international stakeholders.
Another project which was launched at around the same time is the East Oweinat Project, located in the Western Desert. This one utilizes groundwater resources for agricultural development, focusing on cash crops as well as crops for domestic consumption. But this project is also not close to completion, and the long-term viability of the project is not exactly proven as of early 2025.
Egypt's Sheikh Zayed Canal in the Libyan Desert, partially funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (Photo source: Wikipedia)
The newest project is the New Delta Project, which was launched in 2021, aiming to terraform an area of 2.2 million feddans (roughly 924,000 hectares). This project aims to establish a modern agricultural and industrial zone northwest of the Nile Delta. Since it is the newest initiative, it intends to incorporate cutting-edge technologies, including waste water recycling, solar-powered irrigation systems, precision farming, and advanced desalination plants. It seeks to produce strategic crops such as wheat, corn, and sugar beets, while also creating job opportunities and fostering economic growth. The New Delta Project reflects Egypt’s commitment to addressing food security challenges and reducing its reliance on food imports. While not near completion, it has seen some progress in recent years.
A Real Life Dr. Liet Kynes from Dune? The Vision of Ties van der Hoeven
Also in recent years, a Dutch engineer by the name of Ties van der Hoeven has presented an intriguing vision for transforming the Sinai Peninsula. The Egyptian military is involved in land irrigation projects on the peninsula to stimulate the local economy, and these initiatives have seen some progress as well. Van der Hoeven's plan focuses on restoring ecosystems and creating a self-sustaining agricultural environment across this arid region, the ancient land bridge between Africa and the Levant. The cornerstone of Van der Hoeven's proposal involves utilizing ancient hydrological techniques combined with modern engineering to capture rainwater and replenish underground aquifers. This method, inspired by the Nabatean civilization, aims to store and distribute water more effectively in a region notorious for its harsh climate.
Van der Hoeven’s plan also emphasizes the potential of mangrove forests to create a buffer against desertification. By introducing mangroves along the coast, his approach could stabilize soils, improve microclimates, and generate new economic opportunities through sustainable fisheries and ecotourism. Though still in the conceptual stage, this visionary project highlights the innovative thinking required to tackle Egypt’s immense land and water scarcity challenges. What has been accomplished on the ground in the Sinai is completely independent of any of Van der Hoeven's ideas, and are projects initiated by the State after the end of the successful War on Terror in the region.
Egypt’s land reclamation projects increasingly rely on modern technology to overcome the inherent challenges of desert farming. Key innovations include:
-Drip Irrigation Systems: These systems minimize water wastage by delivering water directly to the roots of plants, making them ideal for arid environments.
- Desalination Plants: Given Egypt’s water scarcity, desalination plants are being developed to convert seawater into usable irrigation water – some have already been constructed and are considered some of the largest in the Middle East. With the activation of the Rosatom-constructed El Dabaa plant in the northwest, zero emissions nuclear energy will also power future desalinization.
- Greenhouse Farming: Advanced greenhouse systems help optimize water and energy use while increasing agricultural yields.
- Satellite Imaging: Remote sensing technology is used to monitor soil quality and salinity, crop health, and water distribution across reclaimed lands.
And of course, there are the challenges with such projects, water scarcity, soil salinization, the high costs of construction while Egyptian Pound inflation remains severe, plus many environmental concerns. Add to that sociopolitical factors in areas such as the Western Desert, which shares a long sparsely populated border with eastern Libya, as well as in the Sinai.
But it remains vital for Egypt to complete such projects, however ambitious, to feed the growing population, and secure future generations of our ancient people.