Editing Economy of Egypt (section)

==== Irrigation ====
[[File:Agricultural_output_Egypt.svg|thumb|Development of agricultural output of Egypt in 2015 US$ since 1961]]
Irrigation plays a major role in a country the very livelihood of which depends upon a single river, the Nile.  The most ambitious of all irrigation projects was the Aswan High Dam, completed in 1971. A report from the National Council for Production and Economic Affairs in March 1975 reflected the dam's success in regulating floodwaters and providing a reliable water supply. However, it was noted that water consumption had exceeded expectations, and measures to control this were being considered. Some fertile land was lost due to the cessation of the flow of Nile silt, and increasing salinity presented challenges. Additionally, a period of drought in the [[Ethiopian Highlands|Ethiopia highlands]], the source of the Nile's waters, caused the level of Lake Nasser, the dam's reservoir, to reach its lowest point in 1987.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ross |first=Michael |date=1987-12-26 |title=Parched Egypt Watches Anxiously as Waters Behind Aswan Dam Recede |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-12-26-mn-7439-story.html |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mesfin |first=Meja |date=January 2020 |title=Assessing the Challenges of Irrigation Development in Ethiopia: A Review |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341870910 |website=Research Gate}}</ref>

In the 1970s, despite considerable investments in land reclamation, agriculture gradually lost its place as the primary sector of the economy. Agricultural exports, which accounted for 87% of Egypt’s merchandise export value in 1960, had declined to 35% by 1974 and 11% by 2001.<ref>Tellioglu, Isin, and Panos Konandreas. 2017. Agricultural Policies, Trade and Sustainable Development in Egypt. Geneva: International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and Rome: United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).</ref> As of the 2020s, agriculture accounts for approximately 10% of Egypt’s GDP and provides employment for 18% of the labor force.<ref name=participation/><ref name="CIAWFEG"/>

In 2010 Egypt's fertile area totaled about {{convert|3.6|e6ha|e6acre|abbr=off}}, about one-quarter of which has been reclaimed from the desert after the construction of the Aswan High Dam.<ref name=faoun>{{cite web |title=Country profile – Egypt (Version 2016) |url=http://www.fao.org/3/i9729en/I9729EN.pdf |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |access-date=6 June 2018}}</ref> The government aims to increase this number to 4.8&nbsp;million hectares by 2030 through additional land reclamation.<ref name=faoun/> Even though only 3 percent of the land is arable, it is extremely productive and can be cropped two or even three times annually. However, the reclaimed lands only add 7 percent to the total value of agricultural production.{{citation needed|date=June 2018}} [[Surface irrigation]] is forbidden by law in reclaimed lands and is only used in the Nile Valley and the Delta, the use of [[irrigation sprinkler|pressurized irrigation]] and [[drip irrigation|localized irrigation]] is compulsory in other parts of the country.<ref name=faoun/> Most land is cropped at least twice a year, but agricultural productivity is limited by salinity which in 2011 affected 25% of irrigated agriculture to varying degrees.<ref name=faoun/> This is mainly caused by insufficient drainage as well as seawater intrusion in [[aquifer]]s as a result of over-extraction of [[groundwater]], the latter primarily affects the [[Nile Delta]].<ref name=faoun/> Thanks to the installation of drainage systems a reduction in salinized areas from about 1.2&nbsp;million hectares in 1972 to 900 000 hectares in 2010 was achieved.<ref name=faoun/>