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Agenda

Food and Water Security: Challenges and Outlook for Smart and Inclusive agriculture

Day: 12/11/2022
Time: 15:00 -
 16:00 (Egypt local time, CET+1)
Place: Mediterranean Pavilion
Organised by: CIHEAM

The Mediterranean has long been recognized as a region where water resources are limited by the climate and it is increasingly clear that effective and sustainable solutions to these major challenges will require a greater understanding and consideration of the linkages and inter-dependencies between climate, soils, water constraints, the energy sector, agriculture, demographics, and economics. 

The drivers of change are accelerating, thereby forcing decisions to be taken against increasing uncertainty, exacerbated by climate change’s impact, and threatening, among others, the agricultural ecosystems, extensively dependent on irrigation. These realities and the high dependency on food imports of many Mediterranean countries, that are today confronted with the effects of global instabilities and their major consequences on the markets for agricultural raw materials, heavily weigh on food security.

Transitions towards more resilient and sustainable Mediterranean agricultural models and food systems are necessary to continue to produce enough in the face of growing demand in a region marked by recurrent and growing tensions. Options to sustainably increase production considering water resources, and environmental constraints, including climate change exist. Solutions for more balanced and inclusive growth to reduce regional development gaps and act on poverty, particularly in rural areas, also exist and they must now more than ever be supported.

These solutions cannot but integrate youth and women, especially in rural areas and vulnerable communities.

In this perspective, over a third of the 169 SDG targets highlights the role of young people and the importance of their empowerment, participation, and well-being. Twenty targets across six SDGs are strongly focused on youth and women: Zero Hunger, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Reduced Inequalities, and Climate Action.

They are actors of change and providers of solutions that are still underestimated, especially in the era of digital agriculture. Their social and economic empowerment, their education adapted to the changes at work, as well as the strengthening of their capacities are the key to preventing crises and creating shared wealth.

Smart agriculture is an important adaptation measure and also a significant entry point in transforming agri-food systems. It pays in enhancing the livelihood of women and youth in rural settings, where technological innovations are important game changers. Entrepreneurship development is also an important driver in transforming agri-food systems and it creates the necessary ecosystem for inclusion of women and youths in the development process.

In this perspective, the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) with the participation of the Arab Water Council, the Arab Organisation for Agricultural Development (AOAD), the Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE) and the CMI-UNOPS is organising a side event that aims :

  • to demonstrate the importance of putting climate-smart solutions into action, illustrating the role of cooperation between international, regional, and local actors to involve youth and women in the water and food sectors and dynamically build their capacities through sustained investment in training and education.
  • to examine how women and young people’s capacity can be developed and matured with key skills, finance, and access to support networks, harnessing new technologies, smart farming technologies, and digital innovation in building more resilient communities.