Against the Grain: A History and Policy Analysis of Rice, Water and the Edible Landscape in Egypt

Abstract

Water stress is posing enormous pressure on agriculture worldwide. With the rise of ‘more crop per drop’ approaches to agriculture, countries are crafting policies that aim to balance irrigation and food production. However, these policies are not always considerate of the larger socioeconomic and ecological implications they help produce. In this dissertation, I explore the history of rice cultivation in Egypt and its regulatory context under water stress conditions as a tool for legitimizing and promoting specific claims to water use over others. I use the case study of rice as a lens to examine the role of power in agri-food planning and water rationalization. Using mixed qualitative and historical research methods, I trace four historical vignettes that showcase the interplay between rice cultivation and shifting local, regional, and international power modes. Findings of this dissertation indicate that in addition to limited water resources, the making of Egypt’s edible landscape is a function of shifting power dynamics and political interests, with adverse ecological and socio-economic implications. These interests vary from purely calorific to more complex political and economic ones, shaping ‘the edible landscape’ along the way. I argue that this edible landscape is also constantly reshaped through alternative power dynamics, represented in this case by informal collaborations between rice farmers and rice researchers as intermediary agents with interest in preserving the nation’s riziculture.