Qatar University holds international conference on sustainable development, food security

Qatar University (QU) recently announced that the Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD) has organized the first international conference on “Sustainable Development: Achieving Food Security in Arid Environments.”
 
“This initiative comes in line with Qatar’s ongoing efforts to overcome the barriers that are facing the achievement of sustainable food security,” QU Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies Mariam Al-Maadeed said during opening remarks at the conference. “It also aims to provide efficient solutions to tackle the challenges of desertification, and land degradation and drought, and their negative impact on food security and agricultural development in Qatar.”
 
Attending the conference’s opening ceremony were Al-Maadeed; Qatar Ministry of Municipality and Environment Undersecretary Assistant for Agriculture Affairs, Livestock and Fisheries Resources Sheikh Dr. Faleh Al Thani; College of Arts and Sciences Associate Deans for Research and Graduate Studies Hala Al-Essa and Hassan Abdel Aziz; and CSD Director Dr. Hamad Al-Kuwari. QU faculty and staff also attended.
 
“This conference comes to shed light on how to achieve food security in arid environments, and emphasizes the important role of the agricultural sector in reducing the negative effects of arid environments and climate change,” Al Thani said. “It also aims to drive forward the process of sustainable development for the welfare of the community. There are several aspects to take into consideration in food and agriculture in order to achieve food security. They include sustainable agriculture, livestock management, maintaining fisheries, reducing food waste and preserving natural resources.”