INTEGRATING AGRO-ECOSYSTEM ANALYSIS INTO AGRICULTURAL EXTENSION AND ADVISORY SERVICES IN MARGINAL ENVIRONMENTS OF EGYPT: THE CASE OF SAHL EL-TINA, SINAI PENINSULA

The agro-ecosystem includes not only the environmental setting, but also, the agricultural technology system, as well as, the social setting, which draw people's behavior towards natural resources. An intervention project named “Adaptation to Climate Change in Marginal Environments in the West Asia and North Africa through the Sustainable Diversity Crops and Livestock", which has been implemented in Sinai Peninsula (2010-2015). The project conducted four Farmer Field Schools (FFSs) in Sahl El-Tina region (village 4, 6 and 7). FFS activities
included Agro-Ecosystem Analysis (AESA) to provide local smallholders with better understanding of the change drivers in the entire ecosystem. This is a descriptive study aimed to identify the awareness of the project participants with regard to 1) the ecosystem services; 2) the main drivers within Sahl El-Tina agro-ecosystem in
terms of its impact and strength on the ecosystem services; 3) knowledge and practices that were participatory developed and gained; and finally 4) develop model for integrating AESA into agriculture extension and advisory system. Three Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted per each FFS totaling to 12
FGDs. Results of this study revealed that irrigation water is the most important ecosystem services as perceived by farmers. Regarding drivers, lack of subsurface drainage has severe negative impact on
the ecosystem sustainability. The studied farmers were able to recognize 8 ecosystem services and 13 drivers. Similarly, they could recognize 45 of friendly agro-ecosystem practices in Sahl El-Tina as saline affected areas. These practices can be divided into five themes as follows: 1) soil salinity (10), 2) climate change (4), 3) animal production (10), 4) biological control (6), and 5) crop production (15). The previous findings may be regarded as a benchmark for future impact assessment study. Finally, this study proposed model form of the extension strategies to integrate AESA into extension programs at village level. To conclude, respecting AESA in extension programs in marginal areas increases farmers understanding of the dynamic relationship between controlling on change drivers and the ecosystem health and stability. Which may motivate them to adopt sustainable farm management practices in the future.