Egypt's urban expansion

Lush green farms once stretched all around the Nile River, the fertile dark soil a vital source of life since the Pharaonic times, when ancient Egyptians developed some of the first sophisticated farming methods in the region.

Now, red-brick urban settlements are springing up everywhere, snuffing out farmland to make way for the growing population in this country of about 90 million people.

Children still play among the banana trees and alfalfa fields as sheep graze nearby and palm trees rustle in the wind — but such pastoral images are being pushed out by an unstoppable sprawl encroaching on the landscape.

Most Egyptians have always lived in the fertile stretch along the Nile, which accounts for less than 10 percent of the country's territory, and which is also the nation's breadbasket. But urban growth has become the chief threat to farmland as Egyptian farmers haphazardly — and illegally — build new houses to make room for the next generation.

The construction surged even more amid a security vacuum that followed the 2011 popular uprising that ousted the country's long-time autocrat, Hosni Mubarak. Building without permit on agricultural land is now a crime punishable by jail or fines — but it hasn't stopped. In the absence of government subsidies and modern machinery, impoverished famers struggle to make ends meet and feel they have no choice but to build on their own land or sell it off, bit by bit.

Scientist Farouk El-Baz warned that at this rate, Egypt could lose all its agricultural land within 180 years. There wouldn't be a single acre left "to plant on," he said, and Egyptians will be "dying of hunger, as agricultural land disappears under modern urbanism."

Aged and tanned by Egypt's scorching sun, 49-year-old farmer Hamed Fathi says farmers have no option but to build without permits.

"The government sells lands to businessmen dirt cheap, while we can't get a few meters to build for our sons," he sighs. "What are we supposed to do?"

In 2011, a U.N. report on combatting desertification and drought ranked Egypt as the country losing fertile lands faster than any other in the world. Every hour, it said, the country loses around 3.5 feddans (acres) — about 30,000 acres a year.

"Villages are quickly being transformed into high-density urban settlements, without any proper plans for urban expansion or any regulations on building codes," says Mohamed El-Shahed, architect and founder of Cairobserver, a blog focusing on Cairo's development and architecture.

Those who sell their land head to big cities in hopes of finding jobs.

"Farming is no longer good enough," says 55-year-old Abu Islam, standing among his rice paddies, his two children helping him move seedlings. "Everyone has given up on us. I'm waiting for the right customer and price before I sell."

Here's a gallery of images from expanding settlements in the Nile Delta farmland.

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In this Wednesday, May 6, 2015 photo, children play on their family's farm, in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Children still play among banana trees and fields as sheep graze nearby and palm trees rustle in the wind _ but such pastoral images are being pushed out by an unstoppable urban sprawl encroaching on the landscape. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Thursday, May 14, 2015 photo, a young shepherd poses for a picture in his family's farm, in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Children still play among banana trees and fields as sheep graze nearby and palm trees rustle in the wind _ but such pastoral images are being pushed out by an unstoppable sprawl encroaching on the landscape. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Wednesday, May 13, 2015 photo, a girl picks flowers from pasture plants on her family's farm, as recently constructed houses are seen in the background, in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. In the absence of government subsidies and modern machinery, impoverished famers struggle to make ends meet and feel they have no choice but to build on their own land or sell it off, bit by bit. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Thursday, May 14, 2015 photo, a farmer carries wheat before harvest on=n his farm in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Urban growth has become the chief threat to farmland as Egyptian farmers haphazardly _ and illegally _ build new houses to make room for the next generation. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Thursday, May 14, 2015 photo, a farmer leads his cattle on his way home, in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Red-brick urban settlements are springing up everywhere in Egypt, snuffing out farmland to make way for the growing population in this country of about 90 million people. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Thursday, May 17, 2015 photo, farmers work on their watermelon farm in the early day's fog, in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Lush green farms once stretched all around the Nile River, the fertile dark soil a vital source of life since the Pharaonic times, when ancient Egyptians developed some of the first sophisticated farming methods in the region. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Wednesday, May 6, 2015 photo, the shadows of children are cast on the wall of their home in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Urban growth has become the chief threat to farmland as Egyptian farmers haphazardly _ and illegally _ build new houses to make room for the next generation. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Thursday, May 7, 2015 photo, livestock graze as villagers ride a cart on their way to their farm, in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Most Egyptians have always lived in the fertile stretch along the Nile, which accounts for less than 10 percent of the countryís territory, and which is also the nationís breadbasket. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Thursday, May 14, 2015 photo, a farmer pauses while collecting wheat seeds during harvest, in his farm in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Most Egyptians have always lived in the fertile stretch along the Nile, which accounts for less than 10 percent of the countryís territory, and which is also the nationís breadbasket. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Monday, June 8, 2015 photo, a farmer rides his donkey cart through agricultural lands and recently constructed houses in Nahya, an agricultural neighborhood in Giza, Egypt. Urban growth has become the chief threat to farmland as Egyptian farmers haphazardly _ and illegally _ build new houses to make room for the next generation. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Thursday, May 14, 2015 photo, young shepherds look after their sheep as they graze in a wheat farm, in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. n the absence of government subsidies and modern machinery, impoverished famers struggle to make ends meet and feel they have no choice but to build on their own land or sell it off, bit by bit. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Thursday, May 7, 2015 photo, a recently constructed house stands in the middle of agricultural land in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Red-brick urban settlements are springing up everywhere in Egypt, snuffing out farmland to make way for the growing population in this country of about 90 million people. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Thursday, May 14, 2015 photo, a young boy irrigates rice seedlings before they are transferred to a bigger farm, in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Urban growth has become the chief threat to farmland as Egyptian farmers haphazardly _ and illegally _ build new houses to make room for the next generation. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Wednesday, May 6, 2015, photo, farmers ride a motorcycle past agricultural land and newly constructed buildings, in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Urban growth has become the chief threat to farmland as Egyptian farmers haphazardly _ and illegally _ build new houses to make room for the next generation. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Thursday, May 14, 2015 photo, a farmer transports harvested wheat seeds on a horse cart, in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Lush green farms once stretched all around the Nile River, the fertile dark soil a vital source of life since the Pharaonic times, when ancient Egyptians developed some of the first sophisticated farming methods in the region. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Thursday, May 17, 2015 photo, a farmer leads her cow on the way to her farm, engulfed by the early day's fog, in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Lush green farms once stretched all around the Nile River, the fertile dark soil a vital source of life since the Pharaonic times, when ancient Egyptians developed some of the first sophisticated farming methods in the region. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Thursday, May 14, 2015 photo, a farmer collects wheat seeds during the harvest process, in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Egyptís expanding urban settlements are increasingly snuffing out fertile farmland along the Nile River to make way for the growing population in this country of 90 million people. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Monday, May 7, 2015 photo, houses stand in close proximity to agricultural land, in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Building without permit on agricultural land is now a crime punishable by jail or fines _ but it hasnít stopped. In the absence of government subsidies and modern machinery, impoverished famers struggle to make ends meet and feel they have no choice but to build on their own land or sell it off, bit by bit. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

In this Wednesday, May 6, 2015 photo, a boy plays with his dog in a village in the Nile Delta town of Behira, 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Cairo, Egypt. Urban growth has become the chief threat to farmland as Egyptian farmers haphazardly _ and illegally _ build new houses to make room for the next generation. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)

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Text from AP news story, AP Photos: Egypt's urban expansion depletes Nile farmland, by Mosa'ab Elshamy. 

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