NEW LAND DEVT

closed

The project consists of: (a) construction of irrigation and drainage work to service 24,000 feddans (net) of reclaimed desert land; (b) settlement of 4,000 smallholder in 20 villages and provision of necessary economic and social infrastructure; (c) provision of farm machinery, consultant services and training, and farm credit. In addition, the project includes a bilharzia component to consolidate the national program and to expand the control program into the project area and Giza Governorate. Major project benefits include provision of agricultural land and increased incomes for 4,000 low income farm families and unquantifiable benefits of increasing the control of bilharzia. The major risk is whether the actual management and organization of the project will be adequate. The design of the project with a staged development, simple irrigation system, and three tiered organizational structure (Central Coordinating Committee, Project Unit, and Regional Implementation Committee) should minimize this risk. Assurances were also obtained that the government would ensure the timely availability of adequate funds.