MARSADEV Project closing workshop

The 5th of April 2017, in the coastal city of Marsa Matrouh, the closing event of the MARSADEV – Matrouh Rural Sustainable Development Project – took place.

The project, developed over the last three years, was financed by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and implemented by the CIHEAM Bari, in partnership with the Desert Research Center of the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture and Reclamation.

MARSADEV aimed to improve the living conditions in the rural communities of the northwest coast of Egypt, through the rehabilitation, protection and promotion of natural resources and the enhancement of the main crops, olive oil and figs.

At the facility level, the project offered support for the sustainable management of natural resources in the arid areas of agro-pastoral lands, through the rehabilitation of three kilometers of Wadi and the construction5 of 30 tanks, reservoirs and other devices for the collection of rain water.

In addition, the project provided technical assistance activities for the improvement of agronomic practices, with the aim of increasing yields. The project also provided incentives for activities generating income, with particular attention to the socio-economic conditions of the Bedouin populations and the enhancement of the role of women.