Population Pressure and its Impact on the Increase of Proportion of Employment in non-Farm Sectors in the Egyptian Rural Governorates since 1960.

This study aims at tracing some of the recent changes in the Egyptian rural society. Because of the high population growth rural resources have diminished, leading to a decrease per capita area of land and an increase of the proportion of people seeking work in agricultural sector. As a result the land is unable to provide enough jobs for its population. This deficiency has obliged rural workers to search for labour in non-agricultural sector to earn their living. The study also tries to define the correlation between population pressure and the increase of the proportion of employment in non-farm sectors. Moreover, the study stresses the importance of rural development projects, which seek to solve many problems.

The study depends on quantitative methods to realize its goals, using population & housing censuses since 1882 and agricultural censuses since 1939. The data were managed, analysed, and presented by some statistical and GIS programs.

The findings of the study are: Per capita area of land has decreased in all rural governorates except two (El-Wady El-Gadid and Matruh), The proportion of non-farm employment has increased in all rural governorates, as a result of population pressure and there exists a very strong correlation between population pressure and employment in non-farm sectors, as population pressure has led to an increase of the proportion of employment in non-farm sectors.

Finally, the study recommends that constraints, red tape and favouritism be removed; it also urges policy-makers to make the utmost use of rural development projects in order to improve living standards in the Egyptian rural society.