Water scarcity threatens food security in Middle East, says UN official

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has voiced concern over the worsening water scarcity crisis in the Middle East in particular, which it said will threaten food security in the region.
FAO is participating in the COP27 Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, eastern Egypt, which kicked off on Nov. 6 and will run through Nov. 18.

Food is one of the sectors most affected by the consequences of climate change, said Jean-Marc Faures, agricultural research officer and water resources management specialist at FAO.

 Speaking about the measures taken by FAO to address the water crisis and its implications for agricultural production, Faures said: "The most prominent question is clean energy.”

Faures spoke about a number of international institutions that were established to confront the water scarcity crisis through cooperative action.

He noted that many institutions deal with water issues in the region, among them is The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

Faures stated that The FAO launched the Water Scarcity Initiative with the objective of joint cooperation so “that the same projects are done in a coordinated and harmonious manner."