Prof. Ramia AL BAKAIN

Biography:

Ramia Al Bakain holds a PhD in Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry from Sorbonne Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC), Paris, France. Currently, she is Professor at the University of Jordan, Amman/Department of Chemistry.

Her research focuses on the impact of using analytical chemistry for developing new methods in water-agriculture-food security, green technique for water and wastewater treatment, and sustainable application in saving natural resources, where she has wide international scientific research collaborations in this field with Austria, France, Germany, Lebanon, Slovakia, UK and USA. She is leading many international scientific projects and interdisciplinary teams of graduate students working in Water-Food-Agriculture security in the Mediterranean and MENA regions.

She is a member of the editorial board of Science Journal of Analytical Chemistry. She received many international recognitions, awards and fellows, some of them are: L'Ordre national du Mérite from the President of the French Republic, L’Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science, Fulbright Award, Award of the Academy of Medical Sciences, IUPAC Award for Periodic Table for Young Chemits, DFG–Germany, TWAS Prize for Young Scientists in Developing Countries, and Arab-American Frontiers of Science, and many other international awards.

Ramia is a member in many scientific associations: GYA, TWAS, eLife, IUPAC, IWRA, OWSD, IYCN, YESS, WCRP.



Abstract:

Title: New era in facing Water Scarcity for Agriculture-Food Systems

Abstract: The lack of water, the climate/green technology and increasing anthropogenic activity have severe impacts on agriculture-food security, as well as public health in the Mediterranean and MENA regions. The emission of harmful substances as toxic heavy metals, organic compounds, solid waste and pharmaceutical residues are released to local municipal wastewater systems, where very low amount of this wastewater have special treatment to re-use again, which results in serious threats to water-agriculture-food sectors in Mediterranean and MENA regions.

This presentation highlights the unsustainable current technique for saving the natural resources and the urgent need for immediate sustainable management technique based on Green Chemistry that should build bridges between water-agriculture-food recourses. The focus of this presentation is on three main points: 1) Sustainable Green Technologies, 2) Enhance Awareness-Behavior Program of local citizens toward water-agriculture-food security, and 3) Strategies and policies for supporting science.

Herein, the focus will be on the appropriate strategies that overcome the challenges of moving forward from theory to implementation: 1) Institutional, regulatory, financial and technical facilities for Green/Climate technologies; 2) Transfer and joining forces to create synergies for appropriate green technology collaboration; 3) Encourage research and innovation in water scarcity vs. food security; 4) Upscaling of green technology deployment in the fields of environmental protection, natural resource efficiency and water-food security; and 5) Private sector engagement.