With 3 165 kilometres of coastline, it is hardly surprising that fish markets are an important, daily part of local life in Oman. The Sultanate of Oman is one of the largest fish producers in the Gulf region with a total capture production of 554 000 tonnes in 2018, and...

Cairo, 25 June, 2019 - The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), today held a regional workshop as part of the project “Use of Non-conventional water in Agriculture in Support of Sustainable Agri-aquaculture Development in Desert and Arid Lands in the Near East and North Africa region, the Cases...

The experts discussed how to stop exotic or invasive plant pests and diseases from entering and establishing themselves in the region. This is especially important given the large volume of international trade in agricultural products. They will also look at ways to increase phytosanitary capacity, prepare regional positions on new...

The Near East and North Africa (NENA) region with its generally arid climate, predicted population growth and increased water scarcity, needs a coordinated regional approach, among others, to increase fish production and consumption, rural employment and the sustainable use and conservation of the aquatic resources. In this respect, the “Integrated...

Quinoa, once a staple food of only the indigenous people in the Andes, has become a darling of food aficionados around the world in recent years. So popular it has grown that even some fast food restaurant chains have now dishes and salads with it on their menus. Its exceptional...

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) held a two-day inception workshop in Muscat on the regional technical cooperation project entitled “Strengthening National Capacities of Producer Organizations in the Near East and North Africa”, which will focus on three countries from the region: The Sultanate of Oman,...

Smallholder farmers in the Arabian Peninsula region are severely constrained by the region’s extreme aridity, scanty water resources and erratic rainfall. Conditions have become even more challenging as over %95 of the region’s land area now faces some form of desertification from wind and water erosion, and salinization. The increasing...

The seventh meeting of the Working Group on Aquaculture (WGA) of the Regional Commission for Fisheries (RECOFI) was held in Doha, the State of Qatar, from 26 to 28 April 2016 and was attended by the representatives from six Member countries. The WGA reviewed the outcome and recommendations of the...

The report analyses the determinants of demand on energy, water, and food in the Arab region, thgat  include socio-economic contexts, level of development, population growth, rate of urbanization, scarcity of water resources, the harsh climate conditions, and pricing policies. However, the region is truly heterogeneous in terms of socioeconomic contexts,...

The need for sustainable food consumption in Arab countries has emerged from the regional concern for food and nutrition security that requires special consideration on multiple levels and disciplines. In response to population growth and demand, the current Arab food system – characterized by intensive agricultural production as well as...

Smallholder farmers in the Arabian Peninsula region are severely constrained by the region’s extreme aridity, scanty water resources and erratic rainfall. Conditions have become even more challenging as over 95% of the region’s land area now faces some form of desertification from wind and water erosion, and salinization. The increasing...

The RECOFI Workshop on Social and Economic Aspects of Fisheries in the RECOFI region was held in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain from 22 to 24 April 2012, following the agreement at the sixth session of the Regional Commission for Fisheries held in Rome from 10 to 12 May 2011. The...

This issue of Caravan describes the new program, and some of the research innovations it will build on. The issue begins with two ‘opinion pieces’ by scientists from partner organizations in the CRP. They share lessons learnt from past successes (and failures), and ideas that could be applied to dryland systems...

n partnership with the National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) of seven countries in WANA (Jordan, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia and UAE), and with support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID),...

Wheat, grown on more than 200 million hectares of land worldwide, is a source of food and livelihoods for over one billion people in developing countries. This important commodity has been greatly affected by recent soaring food prices. Wheat prices have doubled in the last year, largely as a result...

In their individual and joint efforts to address the problems of poverty, IFAD and its partner agencies in the NENA region are confronted by a large number of constraints, including:• The natural resource base in both quantity and quality, in particular, the prevalence ofdesert and semi-arid areas and the frequency...

The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC) is a political, economic and social organization and a regional cooperation system among six Arab States of the Gulf: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In August 1989, IFAD...