This summer, brutally hot temperatures, deepening water scarcity, and spiking fertilizer costs have put North Africa’s agricultural sector under intense pressure. Host Alistair Taylor is joined by Mohammed Mahmoud, CEO and founder of the Climate and Water Initiative and lead for Middle East Climate and Water Policy at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health, to unpack the region’s food and water security challenges. Drawing on Mahmoud’s new report card on agricultural sustainability in North Africa, they explore the diverging picture across the region, why some countries have weathered the strain better than others, and what it will take to build a more resilient and secure food system.
Outlook for Sustainable Agriculture in North Africa: Report Card Assessment
This report assesses the future sustainability of agriculture across North Africa using a multidimensional approach that considers the dynamics of water, climate, land, and economics. To enable this assessment of sustainable agriculture across the region, the author evaluates water resources reliability, water use efficiency, agricultural land sustainability, and the food sector economy for Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, and Mauritania, and provides recommendations for action.
When the Strait of Hormuz closed in March, fertilizer prices spiked within weeks, triggering a food security crisis across North Africa and the Sahel. Host Alistair Taylor is joined by MEI Senior Fellow Intissar Fakir to explore what it means for the region, unpack the link between food security and regional stability, and assess how the strait’s reopening could impact those affected.
Moderator: Robin Wright, USIP-Wilson Center Distinguished ScholarHossam Bahgat, Egyptian Initiative for Personal RightsMirette Mabrouk, Atlantic Council Jawad Nabulsi, al Nebny Foundation Diane Singerman, American University
Panel II: Working Toward a National Reconciliation
Panel II: Working Toward a National Reconciliation 11:00am-12:30pmModerator: Thomas Friedman, New York TimesNader Bakkar—co-founder, al Nour PartyDina Guirguis—Tahrir Institute for Middle East PolicyWael Haddara—former senior advisor to Mohamed MorsiHani Sarie Eldin—al Dostour Party
Panel II: Working Toward a National Reconciliation
Panel II: Working Toward a National Reconciliation 11:00am-12:30pmModerator: Thomas Friedman, New York TimesNader Bakkar—co-founder, al Nour PartyDina Guirguis—Tahrir Institute for Middle East PolicyWael Haddara—former senior advisor to Mohamed MorsiHani Sarie Eldin—al Dostour Party
Panel II: Working Toward a National Reconciliation
Panel II: Working Toward a National Reconciliation 11:00am-12:30pmModerator: Thomas Friedman, New York TimesNader Bakkar—co-founder, al Nour PartyDina Guirguis—Tahrir Institute for Middle East PolicyWael Haddara—former senior advisor to Mohamed MorsiHani Sarie Eldin—al Dostour Party
Panel II: Working Toward a National Reconciliation
Panel II: Working Toward a National Reconciliation 11:00am-12:30pmModerator: Thomas Friedman, New York TimesNader Bakkar—co-founder, al Nour PartyDina Guirguis—Tahrir Institute for Middle East PolicyWael Haddara—former senior advisor to Mohamed MorsiHani Sarie Eldin—al Dostour Party
Panel II: Working Toward a National Reconciliation
Panel II: Working Toward a National Reconciliation 11:00am-12:30pmModerator: Thomas Friedman, New York TimesNader Bakkar—co-founder, al Nour PartyDina Guirguis—Tahrir Institute for Middle East PolicyWael Haddara—former senior advisor to Mohamed MorsiHani Sarie Eldin—al Dostour Party
Panel I: Forging A Viable Political PathModerator: David Rothkopf, Foreign PolicyKhalil al Anani, Middle East Institute Graeme Bannerman, Middle East instituteKarim Haggag, National Defense UniversityTarek Masoud, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government
Panel I: Forging A Viable Political PathModerator: David Rothkopf, Foreign PolicyKhalil al Anani, Middle East Institute Graeme Bannerman, Middle East instituteKarim Haggag, National Defense UniversityTarek Masoud, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government
Panel I: Forging A Viable Political PathModerator: David Rothkopf, Foreign PolicyKhalil al Anani, Middle East Institute Graeme Bannerman, Middle East instituteKarim Haggag, National Defense UniversityTarek Masoud, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government
Panel I: Forging A Viable Political PathModerator: David Rothkopf, Foreign PolicyKhalil al Anani, Middle East Institute Graeme Bannerman, Middle East instituteKarim Haggag, National Defense UniversityTarek Masoud, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government
Panel I: Forging A Viable Political PathModerator: David Rothkopf, Foreign PolicyKhalil al Anani, Middle East Institute Graeme Bannerman, Middle East instituteKarim Haggag, National Defense UniversityTarek Masoud, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government
The oldest peer-reviewed publication dedicated to the study of the modern Middle East, MEI’s flagship journal covers politics, society, and culture in the region.
