Haifa Al Kaylani Writes on Agriculture and Water Security in the Arab World

Media Coverage | March 18, 2020

EWI Board Member and Founder and Chairman of the Arab International Women's Forum, Haifa Al Kaylani, shares key reflections on food security and water scarcity in the MENA region in an article entitled “Agriculture and Water Security in the Arab World.” The piece appears in the December 2019 edition of Arab British Chamber of Commerce’s (ABCC) quarterly magazine Economic Focus.

Nowhere in the world are the challenges of water scarcity and food insecurity more pertinent than they are in the “world’s most water-stressed” Arab world, argues Al Kaylani. Supporting and investing in sustainable agriculture and the rural economy, therefore, could go a long way to contributing to the realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs) in the Arab region. Furthermore, the agricultural sector would benefit greatly from investment in technology, tools, jobs and training to mitigate future of work challenges. These investments would strengthen exports from the MENA region, create much-needed jobs and more adequately meet the food demands of the growing Arab population.

Al Kaylani remains committed to achieving economic security via sustainable agriculture. She is currently working to implement a new Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellowship Project in Jordan called “Ploughing New Ground: Sustainable Agriculture in the MENA.” The project specifically addresses the critical development challenges of water scarcity and food security in the MENA region and identifies how sustainable agriculture with an emphasis on small-scale farming can alleviate poverty, create jobs and empower women and young people in rural areas.

The Arab world needs leaders in business, entrepreneurship and social enterprise to discover, create and innovate solutions to the region’s most critical development challenges, says Al Kaylani, and the Arab International Women’s Forum stands ready to provide the necessary networks of support that are so vital to successful leadership in this endeavor.

Click here to read the full article on Issuu (pages 20-25).