As an outcome of the Mashreq Agricultural Imitative (MAI), (add hyperlink) Dean Mohtar participated as speaker and panelist in the DigitalAg4Mashreq webinar of the World Bank Group that took place on June 1.
The session Digital Transformation for Economic Diversification: The Case of Agriculture presented the case for Iraq's economic diversification through the digital transformation of the agrifood sector along multiple axes: (i) mapping challenges and opportunities, (ii) policymaking and regulatory reforms and (iii) creating a national platform model for digital agriculture. A background paper (available online) was prepared by the Mashreq Agricultural Initiative, consisting of three-countries (Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon) sharing knowledge and experience on issues of common interest including digital technologies, climate change and water, and trade and launched during the event.
The Initiative seeks to raise the profile of the agri-food sector as a key economic sector, inform policy making, and build political momentum for the support of the agri-food sector, stimulate public and private investment in agriculture and agribusiness, and launch new programs and elicit support from development partners. The MAI is jointly supported by the World Bank, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN-ESCWA), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the UN, and the Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) in partnership with the American University of Beirut (AUB), the Hashemite University of Jordan, the University of Babylon (Iraq), and the Ministries of Agriculture in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon.
