Egypt is the world’s top grower of dates, producing 1.7 million tons of the fruit per year, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Farmers say their harvests are increasingly threatened by rising temperatures, water shortages and Egypt’s booming population. For VOA, Hamada Elrasam has this photo essay on the ancient practice, with words by Elle Kurancid.
Egyptian Date Farmers Strained by Climate Change
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Alaa Atef, 24, who has been harvesting dates by climbing the palm trees for 15 years, says date harvests have been "deteriorating gradually over the past few years.” "If these (trees) are gone, what job will I do?" September 4, 2021. (VOA/Hamada Elrasam)
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Poor children in Cairo collect unripe, fallen dates, an act that farmers tolerate, September 4, 2021. (VOA/Hamada Elrasam)
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"This year, the dates are not as sweet as they used to be, and they go bad quickly," says Farhan, 58, a father of seven who has been cultivating and trading the fruit for more than 45 years, in Cairo, September 9, 2021. (VOA/Hamada Elrasam)
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Farmers toss leafy palm branches on public roads to advertise their freshly harvested dates, in Cairo, Sept. 9, 2021. After vehicle tires crush the branches, they are repurposed for various weaving projects, a practice considered illegal because it makes