Egypt is the gift of the Nile. The Nile is the longest single river and the second longest continuous water way in the world. From time immemorial the Nile flooded its valley annually. Crops were grown on the mud flats left by the water as it subsided and, at a very early period, a system of basin irrigation was developed. Cereals (barley, wheat and sorghum), legumes (faba bean, lentil and chick-pea), flax, berseem clover and onion were cultivated for thousands of years. This remarkable river has exercised a unique influence on the history of civilization. The necessity of controlling its course and utilizing its water taught the ancient Egyptians the art of river engineering and the sciences of land-surveying, agronomy and astronomy. The pharaohs created unique systems to survey and invented methods of irrigation. The Nile influenced the foundation of social, legal and political order. Since the days of Mohammed Ali in the 19th century, when cotton-growing was developed in the Delta, a great change in Egyptian agriculture has taken place. Several large projects including the Delta barrage and dams in Upper Egypt (1835-1909) were constructed in order to render perennial irrigation possible. The first school of agriculture was established in 1869 and the first directorate of agriculture in 1875. This impetus resulted in the increase of cultivated land to more than 5 million feddans by the end of the 19th century. During the 19th century, agricultural research was carried out by the Egyptian Agricultural Royal Society, and as early as 1897 a number of experimental farms were established at various localities. In 1910 the Department of Agriculture was established under the Ministry of Public works. Concern was given to researching cotton breeding, fertilization and water requirements, and to producing and distributing certified seed. The horticultural section focused on citrus reproduction and control of pests. A royal decree established the Ministry of Agriculture in 1913 and His Excellency Mohammed Said Pasha was the first Egyptian Minister of Agriculture. Its headquarters moved in 1913 to the historic Dokki building, where the Ministry is still housed. Among the first departments established were Plant Breeding, Horticulture, Chemistry, Entomology, Agricultural Education, Veterinary Medicine and Agricultural Inspection. Ministerial offices opened in various regions of the country. The Ministry has gone through several dramatic reforms in the past decades. It has grown from only 7 major departments in 1913 and 28 in 1950 to 194 in 1963. Ninety two of these dealt with various aspects of agricultural production. Among the major departments were Agriculture, Horticulture, Plant Protection, Soil, Animal Production, Veterinary laboratories and seed production. These research departments were reorganized into one research body named the General Authority for Agricultural research (1971), which was later (1983) renamed the Agricultural Research Center (ARC). The implementation of a set of mega national projects started by the end of the second millennium and will continue for long years to come. These aim at re-charting a new urban and production map that can achieve balanced development in Egypt's various provinces and ensure optimal exploitation of all available, but not yet exploited resources in desert areas rich with promising natural elements. These mega projects will help create new urban communities outside the valley in the depth of the Egyptian desert. The new communities will absorb the ever increasing population; thus alleviating population intensity in the valley, increasing the percentage of populated areas from 5.3 percent to 25 percent of Egypt's total area. These projects are centralized in two areas, namely Southern Egypt and Suez Canal and Sinai. 1- Toshka Project Toshka project is designed to create a new delta in the south of the Western Desert parallel to the Nile, adding 540,000 feddans to the cultivated area, to be irrigated by Nile water and comprising various economic activities. 2- East Owainat Project East Owainat project, a major development venture in the Southern Valley, is located in the southwestern part of Egypt's Western Desert. The project aims at reclaiming and cultivating an area of 230,000 feddans totally depending on subterranean water reservoir available in the project area. Moreover, clean agricultural techniques will be applied to produce pollutant-free crops suitable for exportation. Up to June 30, 2003, about 47,000 feddans were cultivated and infrastructure for 380 wells was implemented. Scientific method was applied in selecting the crops, the most significant of which are: potatoes, medicinal herbs, fruits and grains that suit regional climate. Production yielded quite promising results and was totally exported. The 10-year project has total investment cost of LE 3.5 billion and is expected to provide 20,000 job opportunities. 3- Al-Salam Canal Project Salient of the mega development projects is Al-Salam Canal project. It will help add to the cultivable area 620,000 feddans depending on the Nile water mixed with agricultural drainage water at Salam Canal and its branches extend over a length of 262 km. It is divided into two phases: Phase I (West of Suez Canal) Phase II (East of Suez Canal and Sinai) 4- Sharq Al-Tafria' Project Sharq Al- Tafria' mega project, located east of Port Said at the northern-western corner of Sinai kick-started 4 years ago. It covers an area of about 220 km2 bounded to the north by the Mediterranean Sea over a length of about 22 km2. Exports: Agriculture exports, 2003/04 showed about $ 820 million. Labor Force: Labor force involved in the agriculture and irrigation sector showed about 5,206,000 workers in 2003/04, accounting for 27.9 percent of total Egyptian labor force. Labor force involved in the agriculture and irrigation sector showed about 5,206,000 workers in 2003/04, accounting for 27.9 percent of total Egyptian labor force. Self-sufficiency: - Self-sufficiency at a rate of 80 percent in sugar was achieved in 2003/04. - Self-sufficiency and surplus for export in cotton, rice, vegetables, and fruits were achieved. - Self-sufficiency was achieved in poultry, eggs, dairy, and fish at arate of 100 percent and meat production at a rate of 75 percent.