Dr. Rachid Moussadek elected as Chair of the FAO NENA Soil Partnership

ICARDA is delighted to announce that Dr. Rachid Moussadek was elected Chair of the FAO Near East and North Africa Soil Partnership (NENA) Soil Partnership in a meeting in March 2023 in Muscat, Oman. The meeting was attended by representatives of 20 member countries. Dr. Moussadek is a Systems Cropping Agronomist at ICARDA and Joint Researcher of the Moroccan Institut National de Recherche Agronomique (INRA), specializing in/focused on Sustainable Soil and Land Management  

The Global Soil Partnership (GSP) is an internationally acknowledged initiative to elevate the importance of soils on the global stage and advocate for sustainable soil management. Hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and founded in 2012, it focuses on enhancing soil governance, ensuring the productivity of soils to support food security, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and sustainable development for all.  

The NENA Soil Partnership is the regional branch for the Near East and North Africa (NENA). It translates national priorities into regional initiatives through its Annual NENA GSP meetings and implementation plan. Its objectives include promoting knowledge sharing, addressing food security challenges, enhancing carbon sequestration, combating land degradation, and advocating for environmental protection and sustainable soil management practices in response to climate change.  

“Healthy soil for healthy food and a healthy planet! It is crucial to join forces for more knowledge-sharing to identify and promote the best sustainable soil management adapted to local conditions to enhance agri-food system resilience in vulnerable zones, such as drylands in NENA regional” said Dr. Moussadek after his election.  

During his 3-year presidency as Chair of the NENA Soil Partnership, he will support member countries and GSP focal points to raise governments’ awareness about the importance of soil health for food security, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development. He will also help them to promote capacity building and better knowledge sharing for sustainable soil management. Furthermore, he will work on strengthening regional partnerships and collaborations and oversee the implementation of the regional work plan of the NENA Soil Partnership.