Biography:

• Former Head of the Agricultural Office at the Embassy of Egypt in Washington DC (USA).
• Obtained a Ph.D in pomology in 1985 within a collaborative reseach programme between the Unversities of Cairo and Hannover University (Germany).
• Was a visting scientist on on-farm water management at the University of Arizona and the University of Texas A&M.
• Was the national focal point for Egypt from 2003-2012 to the Secretariat of the United Nation Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and served as the Chair of the Committe of the Whole (COW) at COP9 in Buenos Aires (2009).
• He established the Egyptian Observatory at DRC to build capacity, a database and information to help combat desrtification in Egypt and Africa.
• With over thirty years of experience, he provided technical assistance for several international institutions (FAO, World Bank, ICARDA, ACSAD, ISESCO, Bioversity International, Arab Organization for Agricultural Development and Arab Water Council) and national organization in the areas of land reclamation, combating desertification, ecosystem services mangment for sustainble development, dry farming, water management, agro meteorology and seed banking.

Abstract: