Prof. Al-Khawaldeh stresses the importance of the partnership between Jordan and FAO on food security

The Dean of Scientific Research and Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Technology at Al-Ahliyya Amman University and President of the Jordanian Society for Scientific Research, Entrepreneurship and Creativity, Prof. Dr. Reda Al-Khawaldeh, stressed the importance of the partnership between Jordan and FAO, especially with regard to the issue of food security and the Food Security Council. He pointed to the importance of strengthening cooperation and unifying efforts between all institutions and research centers because the priorities are mutual, suggesting that there be a coordination committee between these centers to guide work and research projects. Dr. Khawaldeh said: We must keep pace with technological developments and there should be change to keep pace with the rapid developments in the world, praising the programs of the National Center for Agricultural Research and Research Technology Transfer. This was part of a speech that he made during the launch of a training workshop at the Dead Sea on Thursday, 12 Jan 2023 which was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) entitled "Improving Agricultural Research for Development and Strengthening Institutional Links between Actors in National Agricultural Research Systems in Jordan". The representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Jordan, Nabil Assaf, confirmed in a speech that Jordan is one of the best countries in the Middle East in terms of grain stocks and provision during the Ukrainian crisis, adding that Jordan was a pioneer in preparing a national strategy for food security and to have a higher council for food security, pointing out that many countries tried to follow Jordan's example. He also pointed out that the challenges of food security and energy security are increasing, especially as we are witnessing a transitional phase in the agricultural sector, as the global population will reach 10 billion in 2050, so it is necessary to resort to technology, research and innovation after identifying the needs. The Agricultural Innovation Officer at the FAO in Rome, Dr. Atef Sweilam, called for supporting scientific research, pointing out that if the results of scientific research are not employed and utilized, the research is useless, and the research networking and cooperation between research institutions is still weak and lacks direction. It is noteworthy that the training workshop lasted for two days with the participation of 30 attendees from the National Center for Agricultural Research and Technology Transfer, the Directorate of Agricultural Extension, officials of international projects, universities and specialists. The workshop aims to support research for development efforts by providing programs to enhance the necessary and required capabilities and training courses to improve productivity and enrich trainees with the required competencies.