Livestock at the heart of Egypt’s food and economy
Livestock is a cornerstone of Egypt’s agriculture, providing essential nutrition and livelihoods for millions of households. The sector contributes 37.5 percent of agricultural production value, supports 1.8 million families, and produces around 6 million tonnes of milk and 0.5 million tonnes of meat each year. Beyond food security, livestock contributes about 11 percent of Egypt’s GDP, making it a vital driver of the economy.
Yet, the sector faces growing pressures from climate change. Rising temperatures, extreme heat events, water shortages, and disease outbreaks such as lumpy skin disease are reducing productivity, particularly for smallholder farmers who rely on integrated crop-livestock systems. Heat stress alone can reduce milk yields by 20–39 percent and reproductive success by up to 27 percent, while feed and water scarcity increasingly threaten farm viability, especially in Upper Egypt.
SCALA’s Approach: Assessing risks and driving solutions
To tackle these challenges, the SCALA programme conducts systems-level assessments across six key governorates—Behera, Monofya, Sharqia, Beni Suef, Menya, and Suhag—which together account for nearly half of Egypt’s livestock population.
A systems-level assessment looks at the livestock sector as a whole—examining feed and water availability, farm management practices, market access, and community networks. By understanding how all these elements interact, SCALA can identify the interventions that will have the greatest impact.
Using FAO’s Self-evaluation and Holistic Assessment of Climate Resilience of Farmers and Pastoralists (SHARP+) tool, SCALA has collected insights from over 1,000 livestock farmers. This approach identifies vulnerabilities, highlights climate-smart practices, and uncovers opportunities for private sector investment. Listening to farmers’ experiences ensures solutions are practical, sustainable, and tailored to the real needs of Egypt’s livestock sector.
Based on these assessments and the consultation with more than 130 private entities , SCALA identified a range of climate-smart solutions to address the challenges facing the sector to climate change and unlock the private capital, to encourage the private tor be engaged in the climate action.. These include breeding heat-tolerant animals, improving feed management with silage and agricultural residues, and converting manure into renewable energy through biogas. Agrivoltaics—combining solar energy with livestock farming—provides shade for animals, reduces heat stress, and generates clean energy, benefiting both farmers and the environment.
Strengthening livelihoods through women in Livestock
Women are central to livestock management in Egypt, particularly in smallholder farms where they handle feeding, milking, and processing dairy products. The sector supports 1.8 million households, with women making up 75% of the supported population.. Yet, many women face limited access to land, credit, training, and decision-making opportunities. Climate change further increases their workloads while reducing livestock productivity.
SCALA promotes gender-responsive strategies to ensure women can fully participate in and benefit from climate-smart livestock practices. By expanding access to financial services, training programs, and cooperative networks, women can boost household resilience, increase income, and enhance food security. Supporting women in livestock management is not only a matter of equity—it is a smart investment in building the sector’s adaptability and sustainability.
Investing in this sector is investing in rural economic stability and financial inclusion, as 50 percent of their income comes from dairy sector, including milk sales and processing.
Collaboration and policy for long-term impact
Achieving climate resilience in Egypt’s livestock sector requires collaboration between government bodies, private enterprises, and development organizations. SCALA fosters partnerships to scale innovative practices, improve market access, and create financial incentives for farmers adopting climate-smart technologies. Policy reforms and supportive regulations ensure private sector investment in sustainable feed production, biogas systems, and renewable energy integration, while research and capacity-building initiatives equip farmers to implement these solutions effectively.
A resilient future for livestock in Egypt
Through its systems-level approach, SCALA is helping Egypt build a more resilient livestock sector. Farmers could have accessing renewable energy, and women would becoming more empowered in livestock management. By combining practical solutions, inclusive strategies, and multi-stakeholder collaboration, Egypt’s livestock sector will mov toward a sustainable future—one where productivity, environmental sustainability, and social equity go hand in hand.