The worldwide impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused various problems in the production of and access to food in Turkey. While the vacant supermarket shelves became the symbol of the panic created by the pandemic, food businesses and restaurants became the sector that felt the most negative economic effects of the epidemic.In the medium […]

Do cities in arid regions require a different development mindset? How can these cities think differently about their ecology? Huda Shaka discusses how some cities in these regions can think differently. Huda Shaka is an experienced sustainability and urban planning consultant, based in Dubai. She advises on large-scale master planning and infrastructure projects as well […]

Raed B’kayrat how energy planning and management systems can be developed in smart cities. He further outlines the role renewable energy sources can play in a smart city’s future. Raed B’kayrat is currently the managing director for the Clean Energy Business Council (CEBC) in Dubai. He is also a senior advisor at the Alternative Energy […]

Jane Macfarlane discusses how transportation in urban environments has reached a tipping point. She highlights the types of data being collected and how it could be better used for active control across entire networks. She discusses ongoing research on how to design smart transportation systems. Jane Macfarlane has been a pioneer in applying advanced computing […]

Nina Purwajati and Biondo Sanda Sima give examples of how Indonesia and other countries are using technology to address the challenges of megacities. They later discus the urbanization trends in Indonesia and their potential impact. Nini Purwajati is a senior program manager with 100 Resilient Cities – pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation (100RC) Asia Pacific […]

Andy Fisher discusses how communities can address food injustice challenges in large scale in megacities. Andy Fisher has been a leading force in the food security and food justice movement in the US for the past 25 years. He co-founded and led the primary American food systems alliance, the Community Food Security Coalition, for 17 […]

In October 2018, the Hollings Center sponsored a small grant that created an exchange program between representatives of Tunisia and the U.S. state of Oregon to compare best practices for Farm to School Food Programs. Led by grantees Andy Fisher, Amy Gilroy, and Maria Lukyanova, officials from both countries had an opportunity to share insights […]

Jeannie Sowers, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of New Hampshire, discusses some of the obstacles to food security in the Middle East & North Africa, particularly the challenge of the inclusion of rural populations in food security strategies. She further highlights good examples from the region.

Martin Keulertz, Assistant Professor at the American University of Beirut, discusses the challenges the MENA region faces in achieving food security and discusses possible ways to address those challenges. Most importantly, the outlook can be optimistic with attention to key issues and the development of new strategies.

Ismahane Elouafi, Director General of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture, discusses the innovation solutions that could be applied to improving food security in the Middle East & North Africa. She focuses on deploying small scale technological innovations, the importance of learning from older techniques, and the utilization of local, native crop varieties.