Climate-Smart and Resilient Food Systems and Security

Dr. Mohamed Behnassi

Dr. Behnassi is currently Senior Environmentalist Expert at the Economic, Social and

Environmental Council (CESE), Rabat, Morocco. From December 2004 to June 2022,

he was Professor at the College of Law, Economics, and Social Sciences, Ibn Zohr

University of Agadir. He holds a Ph.D. in International Environmental Law and

Governance (Hassan II University of Casablanca, 2003) and a Diploma in

International Environmental Law and Diplomacy (University of Eastern Finland and

UNEP, 2015). He is currently Founding Director of the Center for Environment, Human

Security and Governance (CERES)--Former North-South Center for Social Sciences

(NRCS). From 2015 to 2018, he was Director of the Research Laboratory for

Territorial Governance, Human Security and Sustainability (LAGOS). In recent years,

he was appointed as Expert Evaluator by the National Center for Scientific and

Technical Research (CNRST/Morocco), Scoping Expert and Review Editor by the

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

(IPBES), and Lead Author and Coordinating Lead Author by the

Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change (MEDECC). His main

research and expertise area includes international law and politics of environment

and human security. In these areas, he published considerable number of scientific

papers and book chapters in addition to 20 books, including recent ones on: Food

Security and Climate-Climate Smart Food Systems - Building Resilience for the Global

South (Springer, 2022); The Climate-Conflict-Migration Nexus from a Human

Security Perspective (Springer, 2022); and Social-Ecological Systems in the Era of

Risks and Insecurity - Pathways to Viability and Resilience (Springer, 2021).He

serves as Reviewer for many global publishers (such as Routledge and Springer) and

scientific journals with high impact factor. He has organized many international

conferences covering the above research areas, managed many research and

expertise projects, and is regularly requested to provide scientific expertise nationally

and internationally. Other professional activities include social compliance auditing

and consultancy by monitoring human rights at work and the sustainability of the

global supply chain.

Dr. Abdumalek A. Al-Shaikh

Dr. Al-Shaikh is Director of the Prince Sultan Institute for Environmental, Water,

and Desert Research at the King Saud University (KSU) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He

earned his Ph.D. in Arid Land Studies from the University of Arizona, USA, in 1983.

He also serves as General Secretary of the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz International

Prize for Water (PSIPW). The prize is awarded bi-annually at the United Nations

Headquarters. Being Director and Research Chair, he oversees the Research

Programs at the Institute. He is Team Leader of many research projects concerning

the environment, desertification, climate change, and water harvesting in Saudi

Arabia including the King Fahd Project for Water Harvesting and Storage in Saudi

Arabia, Prince Sultan Project for Villages and Hamlets Rehabilitation in Saudi

Arabia, the Space Images Atlas of Saudi Arabia, and the Environmental Atlas of

Saudi Arabia. Being Chairman of the international conferences on water resources

and arid environments, he successfully organized them at the King Saud University.

He has brought world fame water scientists to Saudi Arabia and published nine

proceedings of organized international conferences. He has published extensively in

journals of international repute.

Dr. Mirza Barjees Baig

Dr. Baig is Professor at the Prince Sultan Institute for Environmental, Water, and

Desert Research, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. He earned his M.S. degree in

International Agricultural Extension in 1992 from the Utah State University, Logan,

Utah, USA, and was placed on the ’Roll of Honor’. He completed his Ph.D. in

Extension for Natural Resource Management from the University of Idaho, USA, and

was honored with the ’1995 Outstanding Graduate Student Award’. He has

published extensively on the issues associated with natural resources in national

and international journals. He has also made oral presentations about agriculture

and natural resources and the role of extension education at various international

conferences. Food waste, water management, degradationof natural resources,

deteriorating environment, and their relationship with society/community are his

areas of interest. He has attempted to develop strategies to conserve natural

resources, promote the environment, and develop sustainable communities. He

started his scientific career in 1983 as Researcher at the Pakistan Agricultural

Research Council, Islamabad, Pakistan. He served at the University of Guelph,

Ontario, Canada, as Special Graduate Faculty from 2000 to 2005. He served as

Foreign Professor at the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Pakistan, through

the Higher Education Commission from 2005 to 2009. He served as Professor of Agricultural Extension and Rural Society at the King Saud University, Saudi Arabia,

from 2009 to 2020. He serves as well on the Editorial Boards of many international

journals and is a member of many international professional organizations.

Prof. Dr. Riaz Hussain Qureshi

Professor Qureshi is Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Professor

Emeritus, and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad,

and former Advisor (Quality Assurance and Learning Innovation/HRD) of the Higher

Education Commission of Pakistan. He obtained Ph.D. from the University of Wales,

and M.Sc. and B.Sc. with distinction from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad.

He has been President of Soil Science Society of Pakistan, Member of the Steering

Committee of International Irrigation Management Institute (IWMI), Member of

Research Advisory Committees of PARC and NIBGE, National Coordinator of Saline

Agri. Project for 8 years. He supervised 13 Ph.D. and 74 M.Sc. (Hons) students and

authored over 200 research papers (including one in Nature) and reports. He was

Chief Editor of Pakistan Journal of Agriculture Sciences for eight years and was in

charge of many international projects from U.K., Australia, USA, Philippines, and

Japan. He is Pioneer of introducing Saline Agriculture Technology in Pakistan. His

co-authored book on Saline Agri. for Irrigated Land in Pakistan has been published

by the Australian Centre for International Agri. Research. He received many honors

and awards, including Sir William Roberts Shield and Scholarships for M.Sc. and

Ph.D. studies, Borlaug Award, Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Best Scientist of the

Year Award, and Pakistan Civil Award Pride of Performance.

Dr. Turki Khalufa A. Faraj

Dr. Turki Khalufa A. Faraj is Assistant Professor at the College of Food and

Agriculture Sciences and Environmental Consultant in Prince Sultan

Institute for Environmental Water and Desert Research, King Saud University,

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He is Supervisor in Mentoring Track at Distinguished &

Talented Students Program and Vice Rectorate for Educational and Academic

Affairs. He has Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Public Health, Risk Assessment and

Epidemiology, University of East Anglia, UK, 2012, Master of Environmental

Science, Environmental Health, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land

Agriculture, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 2002, and Bachelor of

Environmental Science--Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land

Agriculture--King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 1994. He has published extensively on the environmental issues faced by the mankind today. He is part of the many scientific research projects of vital importance in the Kingdom. He serves on the editorial boards of numerous scientific research journals.