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The Mediterranean agriculture is constrained by high competition for land and water utilization. One of the challenges for farmers is to increase land productivity through a better use of livestock in mixed crop-livestock farming systems. To assess the opportunities and challenges of integrating crop and livestock activities in irrigated areas, a survey was conducted among 175 small-scale farms in the West Delta desert land of Egypt in 2013/2014. Five regions were investigated and comprised the old reclaimed lands where settlers came in the 1960s, the intermediate reclaimed lands where farmers settled down in the 1980s, and the new reclaimed lands that were attributed to new farmers in the 1990s. The study highlighted two types of farmers’ strategies: 1) diversification and specialization with focus on fruit tree plantation by university graduates, who had benefited from the attribution of around two hectares of land in the settlement program since the end of the 1970s; and 2) diversification with emphasis on livestock by common beneficiary settlers from the Nile Valley, who had benefited from the attribution of one hectare of land since the 1990s. Graduates focusing on fruit trees corresponded to a strategy of developing new business activity, whereas common beneficiaries diversifying their farming systems through livestock corresponded to the need to secure a stable source of family income all year round. Whereas diversification appeared to be a driving force for agricultural development in this context, specialization could be a social and economic risk as graduates became more dependent on national and international markets. This was reflected in the perception of farmers who underlined the need to integrate technical, ecological, economic and social constraints in their decisions.

Egypt, where the mean temperature is expected to increase by 1−1.5°C over the next two decades, is particularly concerned with climate change in the Mediterranean. Most of the research works on adaptive animal traits have focused on sheep and goats in non-irrigated areas, with little interest in livestock systems in irrigated areas. However, meat and dairy products in Egypt are mainly supplied by large ruminants − cattle and buffaloes. In addition, research on genetic improvement to increase production has neglected local cattle breeds such as the Baladi, which appears to be endangered. Based on individual and collective interviews conducted in two governorates of Egypt, this study aimed to describe the situation of this local breed based on the perceptions and practices of the actors in the sector (including farmers, traders and service suppliers), and to draw perspectives for its future. From the interviews, the Baladi appeared adapted and more resistant to harsh conditions, especially to extreme warm temperatures, feed shortage periods, and some diseases, in particular foot-and-mouth disease. However, there is no organization or collective action to preserve or promote this breed because of its low level of dairy production, although its meat is highly valued in rural areas and could be the source of a potential niche market.

L’étude est centrée sur l’évaluation de la contribution de l’éle­vage de petits ruminants dans la réduction de la pauvreté et de la vulnérabilité des systèmes agricoles de trois zones agro­écologiques en Egypte : la zone pastorale du littoral Nord- Ouest (région de Matrouh), les zones irriguées de la vallée du Nil (région de Sohag) et les oasis du désert Ouest (région de la Nouvelle Vallée). Une étude empirique sur 90 exploitations dans les trois zones agroécologiques portant sur différents indicateurs économiques et sociaux liés à la pauvreté a donné des indications sur le rôle des ovins et des caprins dans dif­férents types d’exploitation, selon les dotations en ressources (en particulier terre, bétail, capital) et les ressources humaines. Les résultats ont montré que les petits ruminants constituaient la principale source de revenus des ménages pour échapper à la pauvreté, notamment pour les sans terre et les très petits propriétaires terriens. En outre, l’élevage était un capital qui générait d’autres richesses qui n’ont pas été prises en compte dans l’approche de la pauvreté monétaire.