Climate-Smart and Resilient Food Systems and Security

Dr. Mohamed Behnassi Dr. Behnassi is currently Senior Environmentalist Expert at the Economic, Social andEnvironmental Council (CESE), Rabat, Morocco. From December 2004 to June 2022,he was Professor at the College of Law, Economics, and Social Sciences, Ibn ZohrUniversity of Agadir. He holds a Ph.D. in International Environmental Law andGovernance (Hassan II University of Casablanca, 2003) and a Diploma inInternational Environmental Law and Diplomacy (University of Eastern Finland andUNEP, 2015). He is currently Founding Director of the Center for Environment, HumanSecurity and Governance (CERES)—Former North-South Center for Social Sciences(NRCS). From 2015 to 2018, he was Director of the Research Laboratory forTerritorial Governance, Human Security and Sustainability (LAGOS). In recent years,he was appointed as Expert Evaluator by the National Center for Scientific andTechnical Research (CNRST/Morocco), Scoping Expert and Review Editor by theIntergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services(IPBES), and Lead Author and Coordinating Lead Author by theMediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change (MEDECC). His mainresearch and expertise area includes international law and politics of environmentand human security. In these areas, he published considerable number of scientificpapers and book chapters in addition to 20 books, including recent ones on: FoodSecurity and Climate-Climate Smart Food Systems - Building Resilience for the GlobalSouth (Springer, 2022); The Climate-Conflict-Migration Nexus from a HumanSecurity Perspective (Springer, 2022); and Social-Ecological Systems in the Era ofRisks and Insecurity - Pathways to Viability and Resilience (Springer, 2021).Heserves as Reviewer for many global publishers (such as Routledge and Springer) andscientific journals with high impact factor. He has organized many internationalconferences covering the above research areas, managed many research andexpertise projects, and is regularly requested to provide scientific expertise nationallyand internationally. Other professional activities include social compliance auditingand consultancy by monitoring human rights at work and the sustainability of theglobal 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. Heearned 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 InternationalPrize for Water (PSIPW). The prize is awarded bi-annually at the United NationsHeadquarters. Being Director and Research Chair, he oversees the ResearchPrograms at the Institute. He is Team Leader of many research projects concerningthe environment, desertification, climate change, and water harvesting in SaudiArabia including the King Fahd Project for Water Harvesting and Storage in SaudiArabia, Prince Sultan Project for Villages and Hamlets Rehabilitation in SaudiArabia, the Space Images Atlas of Saudi Arabia, and the Environmental Atlas ofSaudi Arabia. Being Chairman of the international conferences on water resourcesand arid environments, he successfully organized them at the King Saud University.He has brought world fame water scientists to Saudi Arabia and published nineproceedings of organized international conferences. He has published extensively injournals of international repute. Dr. Mirza Barjees Baig Dr. Baig is Professor at the Prince Sultan Institute for Environmental, Water, andDesert Research, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. He earned his M.S. degree inInternational 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. inExtension for Natural Resource Management from the University of Idaho, USA, andwas honored with the ‘1995 Outstanding Graduate Student Award’. He haspublished extensively on the issues associated with natural resources in nationaland international journals. He has also made oral presentations about agricultureand natural resources and the role of extension education at various internationalconferences. Food waste, water management, degradationof natural resources,deteriorating environment, and their relationship with society/community are hisareas of interest. He has attempted to develop strategies to conserve naturalresources, promote the environment, and develop sustainable communities. Hestarted his scientific career in 1983 as Researcher at the Pakistan AgriculturalResearch Council, Islamabad, Pakistan. He served at the University of Guelph,Ontario, Canada, as Special Graduate Faculty from 2000 to 2005. He served asForeign Professor at the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Pakistan, throughthe 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 internationaljournals and is a member of many international professional organizations. Prof. Dr. Riaz Hussain Qureshi Professor Qureshi is Fellow of the Pakistan Academy of Sciences, ProfessorEmeritus, and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad,and former Advisor (Quality Assurance and Learning Innovation/HRD) of the HigherEducation 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 SteeringCommittee of International Irrigation Management Institute (IWMI), Member ofResearch Advisory Committees of PARC and NIBGE, National Coordinator of SalineAgri. Project for 8 years. He supervised 13 Ph.D. and 74 M.Sc. (Hons) students andauthored over 200 research papers (including one in Nature) and reports. He wasChief Editor of Pakistan Journal of Agriculture Sciences for eight years and was incharge of many international projects from U.K., Australia, USA, Philippines, andJapan. He is Pioneer of introducing Saline Agriculture Technology in Pakistan. Hisco-authored book on Saline Agri. for Irrigated Land in Pakistan has been publishedby the Australian Centre for International Agri. Research. He received many honorsand awards, including Sir William Roberts Shield and Scholarships for M.Sc. andPh.D. studies, Borlaug Award, Pakistan Academy of Sciences, Best Scientist of theYear 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 andAgriculture Sciences and Environmental Consultant in Prince SultanInstitute 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 AcademicAffairs. He has Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Public Health, Risk Assessment andEpidemiology, University of East Anglia, UK, 2012, Master of EnvironmentalScience, Environmental Health, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid LandAgriculture, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, 2002, and Bachelor ofEnvironmental Science—Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid LandAgriculture—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.