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Biography |
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Helmy Abouleish is the Managing Director of the SEKEM Group in Egypt. The SEKEM Group of companies employs more than 1,500 people and cultivates Egyptian desert areas into fertile land through bio dynamic agriculture, processing the harvest into foodstuffs, textiles and phyto-pharmaceuticals. It is part of the holistic SEKEM initiative founded 1977 by Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish, which strives for sustainable development in the fields of economy, culture and social/political life, in harmony with nature. The SEKEM Development Foundation runs a range of schools and cultural institutions as well as a medical center. Helmy Abouleish acquired a BSc in Financial and Commercial Studies at the Faculty of Commerce of Cairo University in 1995. Three years later, he received his Salesmanship and Marketing Diploma at American University in Cairo. In 2003, SEKEM received the ‘Right Livelihood Award 2003’ and both his father Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish and, he were selected as Outstanding Social Entrepreneurs by the Schwab Foundation. In 2007, Helmy Abouleish founded, and since has chaired, EcoTec Holding providing funds, support and mentorship to start-ups in green technologies. In 2004, Helmy Abouleish founded the Egyptian National Competitiveness Council to shed light on the issue of national competitiveness, enhance Egypt’s performance and provide an international benchmarking mechanism. He is a member of the Schwab Foundation and World Economic Forum. SEKEM is a founding member of the Arab Sustainability Leadership Group and Helmy Abouleish initiated the formation of its Egyptian National Chapter in 2010. For UN Global Compact, he is a member of the Caring for Climate Initiative and Steering Committee and is engaged in the CEO Water Mandate. A renowned leader of sustainable change in the Arab world, Helmy Abouleish is heading several organizations and is driving manifold initiatives for organic agriculture, corporate sustainability, national and global sustainable development.
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Abstract |
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The Future of Agriculture in Egypt: A Comparative Full Cost Accounting Study of Organic and Conventional Food Production Systems in Egypt |
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Abstract
Organic farming has proven to be remarkably effective in reversing the negative impact of agriculture on the environment; however, it has not found wider application in total national food production, due to being associated with higher costs. The aim of this study is to conduct a cost comparison between organic and conventional agriculture in Egypt, by using the “Full Cost Accounting” methodology. Full cost accounting measures and values in monetary terms the external costs of environmental impacts of food wastage. The research concludes that although organic agriculture has a slightly higher direct input cost of production, it enables a reduction of the environmental and health damage costs, and therefore, results in better cost effectiveness and profitability in the long term for society as a whole. |
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