In Egypt, the Nile Delta and its 3 million small holder farmers struggle due to severe levels of salinity. The ProSal-Hydro project, funded by Partners for Water, addresses these challenges by providing an innovative, low-tech and low-cost solution using hydroponic systems in agricultural fields. Anas Azzam, project manager at consortium partner Delphy, and coordinator of the ProSal-Hydro project, shares about this innovative and accessible solution.

“After completing my master’s in water engineering and sustainable development, I have been working on multiple EU-funded projects in Egypt, focusing on sustainability, agriculture and water management,” says Anas. “What motivates me to work in this sector is the impact we can have. Seeing that results continue to have an impact after a project is finished inspires me to write new proposals and create more positive change for Egyptians who are faced with the challenges of drought, salinity and water scarcity on a daily basis.”

The ProSal-Hydro project aims to introduce innovative agricultural practices to combat salinity and water scarcity for smallholder farmers in the Nile Delta. During the pilot phase, the hydroponics systems will be implemented on five farms, along with training for farmers. The project will be coordinated and executed by Delphy International, a global expert in food and flower knowledge development and implementation. It is in collaboration with The Salt Doctors, a Dutch social enterprise company specialising in resilient farming systems for saline-affected areas, and Plug’n’Grow, an Egyptian company focused on economically viable hydroponic and aquaculture solutions.

Water scarcity and salinity

“The Nile Delta is home to over 3 million small holder farmers and serves as the primary food production area for Egypt”, says Anas. “However, sea water intrusion has led to raising salinity, affecting 40% of the farmland, particularly in the coastal area of the Nile Delta.” This critical issue requires urgent adoption of reliable, innovative agricultural practices and sustainable, smart technologies to ease the strain on freshwater consumption and soil fertility. Anas explains: “By implementing our soilless system, farmers can attain higher yields while reducing water consumption by around 80%. It offers to be a promising solution to the challenges in this vital agricultural area.”

Low-tech solution

“Most small holder farmers in Egypt don’t like high-tech solutions,” Anas points out, “they seek solutions that they can control and maintain themselves, so that they can stay independent and are less exposed to market fluctuations of spare parts.” The project offers an aquaponic system that caters to these needs and preferences. Anas explains: “The system consists of a pond that can be set up in an open field. The water is enriched with nutrients to ensure an optimal mineral balance and a pumping system is installed to provide circulation and aeration. A raft placed on top of the water, ensures evaporation is minimised.” Anas states that the water needs to be renewed only at the end of each yield cycle and that the remaining nutrient-rich water can be used to irrigate crops in the field. “This way no water is wasted.”

Stakeholder involvement

“Throughout the entire project, we maintain close collaboration with the participating farmers and actively seek their input,” says Anas. “By consistently gathering and incorporating their feedback, we aim to refine and optimize the system to local conditions, ensuring that it remains tailored to their specific needs and requirements.” To further strengthen stakeholder engagement, the project has scheduled various workshops, the first one being held in the upcoming month. “This workshop will bring together local government officials, representatives from NGOs and key stakeholders within the agriculture and water sectors,” says Anas. “Our primary objective will be to collect valuable insights and recommendations that can be incorporated in order to bolster the project’s implementation and scalability.”

What’s next?

“We have selected sites in the delta with varying water quality, salinity, and weather conditions. Currently, we are working on implementing the system,” says Anas. He explains that this has taken longer than expected: “We aim to use as many local materials as possible and achieve a low price with high efficiency. Sourcing these products requires time and constant consultation with our technical experts from Delphy and the Salt Doctors.” Fortunately, the finish line is in sight: “Next month, we will be ready to operate the system in 5 locations.”

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is considered the most water-scarce region globally. The region is grappling with complex water problems such as limited freshwater sources and climate change, all while facing a continuously growing population. Egypt finds itself at the heart of this water dynamic. For all water experts, this is a region where you can immerse yourself in water-related challenges. So it’s not surprising that the Wetskills Young Experts Knowledge Exchange Programme found its home base in bustling Cairo this past February-March.

Dedicated working to a single task

Wetskills brings together young professionals and students to tackle real-life water challenges in a unique setting. The programme isn’t just training; it’s an experience. Johan Oost, Managing Director of the Wetskills Foundation, emphasises, “In two weeks, intercultural water teams work together on a case from local and international sector partners. They are encouraged to think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions. The programme provides the teams with an outline of some training and activities, giving them freedom and responsibilities. This approach leads to creative solutions and fresh perspectives emerging, while friendships are also built. Where else do you have the luxury of dedicating two weeks to one task with other enthusiastic peers?”

Funding through Partners for Water

Egypt is one of the seven countries in the delta country approach of the Partners for Water (PfW) programme 2022–2027. The Partners for Water bilateral water cooperation involves various representatives from the Dutch and Egyptian governments. The idea for a Wetskills event in Egypt was proposed two years ago by a Wetskills alumni, Dr Alia Amer. At that time, two other events were planned in the MENA region, in Jordan and Palestine. After some consideration, Egypt was chosen as the February-March 2024 destination for Wetskills. The programme was also primarily funded by PfW and co-organised by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Cairo.

The power of influencing

For the first time in Wetskills’ history, the organisation experienced the power of influencer marketing when an Egyptian influencer with an extensive reach promoted the programme. The number of applications for Wetskills in the MENA region skyrocketed as a result. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t accommodate all interested parties in this Wetskills event, but it demonstrates how we can leverage social media for our programme,” Johan Oost said.

The grand finale at the Dutch Embassy

Over two weeks, four teams delved into four cases with various case owners.

1. Better Irrigation Practices for the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWRI) involved developing a 4-in-1 intelligent irrigation IoT system and application to address water shortage problems.
2. Flash Flood Risk Reduction for the Water Resources Research Institute focused on a holistic approach, including enhanced monitoring, strategic land-use planning, flood preparedness, ecosystem conservation, and inter-authority collaboration.
3. Water Footprint Compensation for the Water Footprint Implementation explored how Egypt could benefit from the concept of increasing water availability or quality.
4. Increasing water availability for World Waternet proposed a solution for rainwater harvesting by capturing humid air for households in arid regions.

The teams presented their cases in a special workshop at the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands. Around 70 people from the field, embassies, local partners, and the Wetskills programme attended. Case 4 was declared the winning case at this grand finale.

Ripple effect

Wetskills impacts participants and the local community not only directly but also through the creation of a ripple effect that extends beyond the programme’s duration. “Strong friendships and networks are built in two weeks, which persist after the programme ends. In addition to this natural effect, we also stimulate and monitor the follow-up of some of the ideas via an initiative called ‘WetsNext’. Plans are underway to return to Cairo to share results and set up new events.” Johan explains.

Partners for Water reflects on a successful event in a challenging Delta country!

Two winters ago, Partners for Water received a request from the Egyptian state authority for water and sanitation to provide advice on how to reduce the environmental impact of the three water treatment plants in the Nile delta. In order to do this, Partners for Water contracted the Dutch environmental engineering consultancy firm TAUW and connected them with an Egyptian counterpart. We spoke to TAUW advisors Julia Opdam and Paul Telkamp about the results and the lessons learnt from this international cooperation.

‘We calculated the environmental impact associated with the use phase of three types of water treatment plants. In order to do this we worked out what the quantity of additives, electricity and emissions per cubic meter of treated water would be,’ explains Paul. This data can be used to calculate the annual impact of the operations that keep the treatment plants running and in which areas ‘environmental savings’ can be made.

Using local data

‘Our counterpart in Egypt, Holding Company for Water and Wastewater (HCWW), collected the necessary data for us. We then made the calculations from our office in the Netherlands,’ explains Julia. On the one hand this seemed to work efficiently, but on the other it also created challenges. Paul explains: ‘You can only really get to know the treatment if you’ve also been on site to see that treatment. Then you can better understand the results that you get from the data. The fact that we couldn’t check the data on site sometimes made the interpretation a little more difficult.’

Understanding the local context

‘When you visit the water treatment on location and talk to the people who work with it, you also learn to understand the context better. This means that you’re not only dependent on the data, but you can give more critical and targeted advice with the help of detailed information,’ explains Julia. ‘A visit to Egypt didn’t fit within the scope of this specific project, but we will take these insights with us for any future projects,’ adds Paul.

Contextual factors

One of the outcomes of the research was that improvements can still be made regarding the energy used by the treatment plants. ‘Green electricity is an important factor when determining the environmental impact of the energy use. But compared to the Netherlands, Egypt mostly uses grey electricity. So you automatically get a relatively high environmental impact.’ Julia adds: ‘In the Netherlands we’re accustomed to adjusting the aeration based on the contamination in the incoming water flow and the quality which the outgoing flow must comply with. This saves a huge amount of energy. But this is not the standard for water treatment in Egypt. It’s essential to take into account these contextual factors when formulating advice for the client.’

Market opportunities

For TAUW there is no project planned in Egypt in the near future, but both Julia and Paul see many opportunities in the field of water treatment and wastewater collection. ‘There is still plenty of room for innovation in the field of products and technology,’ adds Paul. Julia indicates that there is also a need for process automation.