Success Story: Mohamed Gaber's Triumph Against All Odds

Mohamed Gaber, a farmer from Luxor's village of Tood, is one such beneficiary who has seen a substantial increase in his income and has become debt-free. Gaber, along with seven fellow farmers, rented 5.88 hectares of farmland in Tood, which had been neglected for several years due to its poor condition. The land had previously been used for sugar cane cultivation for 12 consecutive years, resulting in soil degradation and loss of fertility. Gaber and his partners decided to take a leap of faith and rent the land, hoping to augment their income and improve their living conditions. Under the guidance of the AMAL project, Gaber and his fellow farmers implemented several key interventions to improve the productivity of their land. They used laser technology to level the land and improve soil ventilation, and added organic fertilizers to enhance soil fertility. The project also provided Gaber with linkages to green bean exporters, who offered seedlings and advance payments under forward contracts. This enabled Gaber to meet his immediate production costs and ensure a steady income. The AMAL project provided Gaber with constant technical assistance and introduced him to proper agricultural practices through agricultural extensionists, specialists in harvesting and vegetable sciences, and researchers from the National Research Center. Gaber adopted the cultivation pattern introduced by Dr. Fayek Saweris and applied the technical recommendations of other consultants. As a result, his 2 feddans of land, which were once barren, yielded a total of 13.2 tons of quality produce and net revenues of LE34,100 ($4,355). Gaber's success story is a testament to the impact of the AMAL project in improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Upper Egypt. The project's focus on developing inclusive horticulture value chains and integrating smallholder farmers into the high-value export market has enabled farmers like Gaber to increase their income and improve their living conditions. Gaber's experience is well-captured in the old proverb, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."