Agriculture is the largest contributor to the gross domestic product of Egypt, even though less than 4 percent of the land is arable. Egypt’s 7,000 cooperatives, which have a total membership of around 5 million, are mainly related to agricultural production and marketing, but these cooperative are strictly controlled by the government.
Farming is organized in the cooperative form of business so that small farmers can share and manage resources, infrastructure and services such as irrigation equipment, fertilizers and energy supplies. Group buying provides for better fertilizer prices, and the cost of managing and maintaining the irrigation system is spread out.
Read more about Egypt's agricultural cooperatives at http://www.agprofessional.com/news/Egypts-farmers-mainly-in-7000-cooperatives-190246431.html.
