2018 Conference

Discussion Symposium

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region faces serious challenges to producing and providing adequate food supplies across the region in different ways. Some countries, as in the Gulf Cooperation Council monarchies, are very wealthy but growing food in the desert is extremely energy and water intensive. Other countries like Yemen and Syria are riven with conflict that makes food difficult to obtain. Some areas in the MENA region are forcasted to become hotter and drier and producing food for growing populations will be a serious challenge. Antagonisms in the region make cooperation and diplomacy difficult. Fresh water has been over-harvested in both surface and groundwater supplies, and water crises-- such as in Iran, loom large on the region's ability to meet it's needs for food.This session will discuss these dynamics, informed by three international dialogues over the last four years in Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, and Casablanca sponsored by the The Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Program (PMBF Program) for Strategic Research and Studies at the University of Central Florida, and the Hollings Center for International Dialogue in Washington, D.C./Istanbul.