The Egyptians depended on the fertile soil along the Nile for their food. All peasant farmers had to work on their master's estate, but they were also allowed to rent or buy their own land.
Farmers grew barley and emmer for making bread and brewing a sort of beer, and flax, which was used for making linen cloth. Later in Roman time, some of Egypt's grain was taken to feed the population of Rome. Fruit and vegetables could also be grown in the warm climate, so even poor people might be able to eat a healthy diet.
The life of a farmer was long and hard.
To water the land, the Egyptians dug irrigation channels. Water could be lifted into these ditches using a simple device called a Shaduf. When the Nile did not flood, less land could be watered and there might be a famine. In bad years, thousands of people would starve.
Farming had its dangers too. Unwary farmers could loose cattle to the crocodiles that lived in the river. Sometimes people were attacked, so women kept away from the river and men had to wash the clothes.
Cattle was branded to show who owned it. Cattle was kept for the meat and milk. They improved their diet with wild fowl.
Farmers used many simple tools during the year such as hoes, rakes, sickles and winnowing fans. Winnowing fans were used to toss wheat into the air so that the lighter chaff would be separated from the heavier grain.
The land where the Nile flooded was called the Black Land, because of the color of the soil. The sandy desert was known as the Red Land. [2]