Egypt

EGYPT : The people Approximately 32,500,000 people live in Egypt. Peasant farmers called fellahin make up over 60 percent of the population. But less than 4 percent of Egypt's land is suitable for farming. Before the leaders of the 1952 revolution introduced land reform, less than 2 percent of the landowners owned half of the land available for farming. Most of the fellahin were tenants or owned very tiny farms. A man who owned 3 to 5 acres was considered well-off. Now no …

…the irrigation system. The staff of a social center usually includes a doctor, nurses, a veterinarian, an agricultural advisor, and the teacher of the local elementary school. The advice and help that these specialists provide have had a definite impact on the life of the fellahin. The government is attacking problems that were previously the burden of family and neighbors. The task of changing tradition bound rural Egypt is tremendous, but progress is being made.