CIHEAM Press Review

During the 151st Governing Board meeting of the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) held at the Institut Océanographique of Paris (France) on 18 November 2022, Mrs. Frida KRIFCA was elected President of the Governing Board and Mr. Teodoro Miano as Secretary General of the Intergovernmental Organisation. The President will take office on 1 April 2023 and the new Secretary General on 1 March 2023.

Silent witnesses of history, Italy’s millenary olive trees have proven their resilience over time. Local organizations are working to protect them from climate change.

Based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) is working to develop agricultural solutions in regions facing biophysical and socioeconomic constraints around the world.

Farmers have blocked major roads and food distribution centers across the Netherlands in protest against a new environmental policy that would reduce livestock numbers by nearly a third. With manure, garbage and fires now lining Dutch highways, the issue has highlighted the delicate balance that Europe is forced to maintain, with both food security and […]

Chaired by Mr. Mohamed Sadiki, current Minister of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests in Morocco, the 150th CIHEAM Governing Board Meeting was held in Greece in the CIHEAM Chania Conference Center, from July 18 to 19, 2022, as part of the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the CIHEAM and in a Mediterranean context marked by a succession of crises (COVID19, Russian-Ukrainian war, severe droughts). Crises that weigh on food and nutritional security and that have a strong impact on the living conditions of the most fragile populations. An emergency context that, as recalled by the President and the delegations present, calls for greater food sovereignty of countries, Mediterranean solidarity, and strengthened cooperation for sustainable, inclusive and resilient food systems.

Northern Italy is facing water scarcity amid hottest summer since 1945 - Anadolu Agency

In some mountain reservoirs, the absence of rainfall and low water levels forced the production of electricity to stop. Measures have also been taken in hundreds of municipalities in areas affected by drought. The water supply is cut during the night, while in others, the use of water is allowed only for personal hygiene and cooking but banned for watering plants or washing cars.

In 2021, Albania experienced a particularly ferocious wildfire season resulting in two deaths and thousands of hectares of land, including farmland and orchards, destroyed. A lack of aerial fire-fighting equipment as the country’s helicopters are out of service, hampered authorities response to the crisis and resulted in their reliance on other countries, including Greece, to assist.

Egypt and France are boosting their bilateral cooperation, especially with respect to temperature-tolerant and sustainable crops, in the midst of Egypt's preparations to hold the COP27 conference at the end of this year.

Upon the initiative of the General Secretary of the CIHEAM, Mr. Plácido Plaza Lopez, and the Director of the CIHEAM Chania, Dr. George Baouraki, in cooperation with the cultural association “The Garden of Peace”, the CIHEAM Chania Institute based in Crete will host an Olive trees garden for peace.

Within the framework of the promotion activities approved by the IOC for 2021, the Executive Secretariat (ES) intends to award grants to finance national programmes to promote local consumption of olive oil and table olives in producer member countries. Grants will be awarded for events and actions implemented from 6 to 31 December, 2021. The […]

We read, reviewed, and recommend nearly two dozen food and farming books for your gift-giving pleasure.

Rows of sprawling cacti fill a valley in central Tunisia, where producers are hoping the spiky fruit can fuel a cosmetics cash-in.  

"This is the capital of the Barbary fig," said Mohamed Rochdi Bannani, one of the North African country's first producers of cosmetic oil from the seeds of the fruit -- better known as the prickly pear.

Zaghloul, or red dates, decorate the streets of Egypt on towering palm trees – grace and poise in nature. Harvested and pollinated by hand, the zaghloul dates – with a deep red to burgundy skin – resemble giant red grapes and taste like crisp apples – and are synonymous with Egyptian autumn.

La Canasta Campesina’s ability to adopt new tech and adapt to environmental needs matches the skills and interests of younger generations.

As Lebanon experiences a tourism hike this summer, rural villages and attractions hope to draw tourists away from the capital with the help of ecotourism companies. A day spent discovering lavender in the south is one example.

Small-scale producers in Lebanon are struggling to stay in business due to harsh economic conditions, but projects like Mazeej are helping them to turn things around for the better.

Projects promoting the growth of forests in Egypt could be the answer for furniture manufacturers and others having to import wood.

To the naked eye, the delicate velvet roses in south-eastern Turkey appear black and can overwhelm the senses with their irresistible sweet smell.
The rosebuds are just as dark, and when fully developed, the flower takes on the colour of an intensely rich red wine.

A more streamlined approvals process for veterinary products in the EU, particularly those used for more uncommon species of farm animals or diseases, will make vaccines and veterinary medicines more cost-effective for smaller farming operations.