A Holistic Framework towards Developing a Climate-Smart Agri-Food System in the Middle East and North Africa: A Regional Dialogue and Synthesis

Agriculture and agri-food systems of the highly vulnerable Middle East and North Africa
(MENA) region needs a radical transformation under a changing climate. Based on a two-year effort,
initially we developed a mega hypothesis on how to achieve climate-smart agri-food transformation
in the region. In the study, we hypothesized that “Climate-Smart Lifts” implemented in the enabling
environments can rapidly facilitate agri-food transformation in the region. In order to gather the
stakeholders’ perception about this, we organized a collective conversation among ~400 stakeholders
that represent various scales and sectors within the agriculture sector in MENA. These “listening
cum learning consultations” were conducted through a survey followed by a series of webinars.
The webinar discussions were strategically guided based on our hypothesis, the responses from the
surveys and the regional needs. These discussions provided a forum to bring-out the stakeholders’
perspective on what new knowledge, partnerships, instruments and projects were needed in the
MENA. The deliberation focused on the opportunities of public–private partnerships focusing in
all the four major agroecosystems in MENA (irrigated, rainfed, rangelands, and deserts). In result,
we developed an effective framework for strategic resource mobilization in the region, keeping in
view the strong regional needs for climate actions and the requisite long-term commitments for the
SDGs implementation.