中東北非缺水問(wèn)題分析報(bào)告-培訓(xùn)課件外文版2024.6

COUNTRIES

®IONSWater

scarcity

in

the

MiddleEast

and

North

AfricaOverview

reportThe

MENA

region’s

thirst

for

waterExecutive

summaryTheMiddleEastandNorth

Africa(MENA)region

is

oneof

themost

water-scarce

intheworld.

Thecrisishasfar-reaching

implications

withthepotential

to

reshape

thedynamicsoffood

security,economic

resilience,

and

regional

stability,placingtheregion

atthe

forefront

ofexpected

global

economic

losses

and

resource-relatedconflicts.

Water

scarcity

isacritical

issue

inMENAdueto

some

notablefactors:?

Alongsidedesalination,

MENAemploys

watertreatment

methods,

thoughtherearereservations

regarding

theiruseforpotablepurposes

andinagriculture.?

While

relatively

emerging

intheregion,

agriculturaltechnology

(agri-tech)

offerspromise

intacklingthewater

crisisbyreducing

agricultural

water

usage,enhancingproduction

efficiency,

and

bolstering

food

security.

Despite

robustglobal

growth,

MENA’sagri-tech

industryfaceschallenges,

includingcapitalfunding,

highproductcosts,andacomplicated

regulatory

framework.?

Population

growth

isintensifyingwater

demandamong

sectors

likeagriculture.?

Agricultureis

thelargest

water

consumer

across

most

MENA

nations,butthesector

hasstruggled

to

meet

theescalatingdemand,resulting

inoneof

theworld’s

highest

food

import

dependencies.Governments

canplayapivotalrole

inovercoming

thesebarriers

bysubsidizingagri-tech

investments

andstreamlining

regulatory

procedures.

Market

leaders,recognizing

theirsignificantinfluence

inpromoting

advanced

farming

technologies,shouldadoptalong-term

perspective

when

assessing

returns

on

theiragri-techinvestments.

Current

efforts

to

manage

the

water

crisis

will

profoundly

influencethewell-being

of

present

and

futuregenerations,

requiring

proactive

andinnovativesolutions.?

Theburdenon

water

resources

andthecompounding

effects

of

climate

changepose

asignificantthreattorenewable

water

resource

sustainability.Thus,sustainablewater

management

isnot

achoice

but

ratheranecessity.

Severalstrategies

are

beingused

tomanagetheregion’s

water

scarcity:?

MENA

accountsforasubstantialshareof

theworld’s

water

desalination

capacity,with

desalination

being

themost

widely

adoptedmethod

to

address

theregion’sadvancingwater

scarcity.ThisOverview

report

offers

anin-depthexploration

oftheprimary

factorscontributingtotheMENA

region’s

water

crisisandoutlinesthemeasures

takentomitigatethese

issues.3Sources:

OECD;

UNFAO;

UNICEF01Overview?

Global

water

scarcity

and

climate

change?

Water

scarcity

inMENA?

Water

conflictCrisis

on

tapTheprecarious

balance

of

water

scarcity,economics,

humanity,andconflictTheglobalwater

crisisisalooming

economic

threat,with

potentiallosses

oftrillionsof

U.S.dollars

inthe

next

30

years.

Climatechange,with

itsrisingtemperatures

and

extreme

weather,

ismaking

water

scarce

andhurtingfoodsuppliesformillions.

Despite

itssmall

carbon

footprint,the

Middle

Eastand

NorthAfricaisinthe

midstof

aclimate

changecrisis.Inthe

Jordan

River

Basin–mainly

shared

byJordan,Israel,

and

thePalestinianterritories

(specifically

the

occupied

West

Bank)–historical

overuse,

pastconflicts,andoverpopulation

havestrained

theresources,

particularly

underIsrael’sdominantcontrol.

Jordan

facesescalating

resource

pressures

compounded

byrefugees

from

the

Syrian

civilwar,

furtheremphasizing

the

region’s

unstablewatersituation.Discriminatory

policies

leave

PalestiniansunderIsraeli

control,

fosteringsignificantwater

access

disparities,which

persist

asastark

reminder

of

theongoing

challenges.Aroundhalfoftheworld’s

populationexperiences

water

shortages

foratleast

onemonth

each

year.

MENA,the

world’s

thirstiest

region,

isfacingasevere

water

crisisexacerbated

byclimate

changeandincreased

demand.

Thiscrisis

impactsagriculture,

triggers

food

insecurity,andcontributestoconflictsand

agrowingrefugee

crisis.TheNileRiver,

alifeline

foratleast

250

million

people,

remains

afocal

pointofconflict.

Egypt,

Sudan,and

Ethiopiaare

entangled

indisputesover

the

GrandEthiopianRenaissance

Dam.

Similarly,Syria,Iraq,and

Turkey

areatoddsover

aTurkishdam’s

impact

onthedownstream

flow

of

the

EuphratesRiver.TheMENAregion

witnessed

over

290

water-related

conflictsbetween

2010

and2019.

However,

the

numberfailsto

reflect

theirtruesignificance;

transboundarywater

disputeshavesubstantialgeopolitical

importance.

TheMENAregionpredominantly

grappleswith

water

disputesinthree

major

river

basins:the

JordanRiver

Basin,theNileRiver

Basin,andthe

Tigris-Euphrates

River

Basin.MENA’ssubstantialreliance

on

transboundaryfreshwater,

with

nationsrelying

onexternal

sources,

underscores

the

ramifications

ofanydiminishment

inwatersupply,which

may

provoke

conflicts.

Amidthese

challenges,

cooperation

amongupstream

nationsisimperative.5Sources:

Pacific

Institute;

WRI;Yahoo

FinanceEconomic

losses

due

to

water

risk

and

drought

worldwideAnestimated

5.6

trillion

U.S.

dollarscould

belost

fromtheglobal

GDPdueto

water

risk

by2050CumulativeGDPlossdue

to

water

riskworldwidefrom

2022

to2050Share

ofdirecteconomic

lossesdue

towater

riskworldwide

from

2022

to2050,

byeventtypeWater

risk

couldcost

theglobal

economy

asmuch

as5.6trillion

U.S.

dollarsby2050.

Withthe

current

rateofwarming,

climate

changeistriggering

widespreadinstabilityworldwide.

Droughts,floods,

and

stormsthreaten

millions

of

people’s

food

security

andLosses

intrillion

U.S.dollars6Drought5,6Stormslivelihoods.

Drought

isexpected

to

cause15

percent

ofdirect

water-related

losses

between

2022

and

2050.15%543210According

tothe

United

Nations,more

people

havebeenimpacted

bydroughtworldwide

than

byanyothernaturaldisasterinthepast

40

years.

Water

scarcity

hasacomplex

magnitudewith

socioeconomic

andenvironmental

impacts,including

massive

faminesanddisplacements,

naturalresource

depletion,

andweakeconomic

performance.

Sincetheearly

1960s,

Africahaslost

almost

one-third

of

itscrop

productivity

growth

duetoclimatechange.3,349%36%1,3Floods0,120222030204020506Notes:(1)

(2)

Worldwide;

2022Sources:

(1)

(2)

Cambridge

Econometrics;GHD;

ID:1334512;

ID:1334476;

Text:UNFAO;

WRIPopulation

at

risk

of

droughtIfwarming

reaches

twodegrees

Celsius,more

than

abillion

people

areexposed

to

droughtNumberofpeopleexposedtowater

stress,heatstress,anddesertification

due

to

globalwarming,

byscenarioAccording

tothe

2023

IPCC

report

onclimate

change,theworld

haswarmed1.1

degrees

Celsiusabove

pre-industrialtimes.

Limitingglobal

temperature

riseto1.5degrees

Celsius–

thethresholdset

byinternational

negotiators

inthe2015

ParisAgreement

–

would

mean950

million

people

areatrisk

ofwaterscarcity.Population

inbillions1.291.150.95Despite

contributingamere

threepercent

of

totalglobal

carbon

dioxideemissions

since1850,

theMENAregionwill

beone

ofthefirstandmost

affectedbyclimate

change.1.5°C2°C3°C7Notes:Worldwide;

2023Sources:

IPCC;

WRI;ID:1293981;

Text:EUISSHotspots

of

water

stress

by

2040Estimated

ratioof

water

withdrawals

towater

supply(water

stress

level)

in2040Extremelyhigh

(>80%)High

(40%-80%)Mediumtohigh(20%–39%)Lowtomedium(10%–19%)Low(<10%)8Sources:

Economist

Intelligence

Unit;

WRI14

of

the

top

20

water-stressed

countries

globally

are

in

MENABaseline

water

stress

score

worldwide

in2020According

tothe

World

Resources

Institute,halfof

today’sglobal

populationfaces

water

insecurity

atleast

onemonth

ayear.

Withthe

Middle

Eastand

North

Africaranking

asthemost

water-strained

region

intheworld,

itspopulation

isatrisk

of

acripplingwater

crisis

withpotentially

criticalconsequences.SingaporeQatarKuwaitPalestinianterritoriesUnitedArabEmiratesBahrainLebanonIsraelSaudiArabiaOmanIranClimatechangeand

theincreasing

demand

forwatercontinuously

intensify

the

pressure

on

globalwaterresources,

afactorthathas

ledtoarise

inwater-relatedviolence

over

the

lastdecade.

Ascatastrophic

asthe

watercrisisis,itisalsocontributingtofamineandfood

insecurity.Water

shortages

directly

impactagricultureandfarming,which

themajority

of

the

vulnerable

nationsrely

onfortheirlivelihoods.

Therefore,

water

insecurity

isonly

expected

tospark

furtherconflictandadd

tothe

growing

refugee

crisis.KyrgyzstanJordanLibyaYemenNorth

MacedoniaAzerbaijanIraqMoroccoKazakhstan9Notes:Worldwide;

2020;

MENA

regionis

defined

as

Algeria,Bahrain,

Egypt,

Iran,Iraq,Jordan,Kuwait,

Lebanon,

Libya,

Morocco,

Oman,

Palestinian

territories,

Qatar,Saudi

Arabia,

Tunisia,

United

ArabEmirates,and

YemenSources:

IEP;ID:1097524;

Text:Pacific

Institute;

Politico;ID:1311546;

WRI;UNICEFWater

conflict

in

MENAWater

conflictsinMENAquadrupledbetween

2010

and2019

compared

with

the

previous

decadeBetween

2010

and

2019,

there

were

nearly

300

water-related

conflictsinthe

Middle

Areduction

intheregion’s

water

supply

hasthepotential

to

worsen

conflictoverEastand

North

Africa.

However,

there

arediscrepancies

between

thenumberofwater

conflictsandtheirimpact.Inrecent

decades,

forexample,

there

havebeenmore

conflictsinYemen

than

inthe

countries

thatsharetheJordanRiver

Basin.Despite

fewer

conflictsover

transboundaryresources

suchasthe

Jordan

RiverBasin,theycarry

greater

geopolitical

significance.shared

water

resources.

Despite

some

agreements

regulating

the

useof

sharedwater,

theimplicationsof

climate

changeandrisingdemand

may

influencegovernments’

inclinationstocomply

withexisting

accords,

with

thoseupstreamholdingthereins.Numberofconflicts

involving

water

inMENA,

byrole

of

water

intheconflictOnthe

other

hand,

thenumberof

events

where

water

triggers

conflict

ismuchlower

than

thosewhere

water

resources

are

the

casualtyof

conflict.

However,water

often

becomes

acasualtyof

conflictdueto

attackson

water

sources

andinfrastructureof

opposing

nations.

Thiscomplicates

theassessment

ofthetruenumberof

conflictsinitiatedsolely

bywater

beingthetriggerof

disputes.2020-20222010-20192000-20091900-19994417

22184825Water

conflict

intheMiddleEastandNorth

Africaispredominantly

focused

onthree

major

river

basins:theJordanRiver

Basin,the

Nile

River

Basin,and

theTigris-EuphratesRiver

Basin.

Transboundary

water

bodies,

including

thementionedrivers,

contributeover

60

percent

of

MENA’swater

needs,

making

the

region

theworld’s

most

dependent

ontransboundary

freshwater.

Several

of

the

region’scountries

heavily

rely

on

othernations–more

than

96

percent

ofEgypt’sandBahrain’swater

resources

originate

outsidetheirborders.4717625

9

12050100150200250300Wateras

acasualtyoftheconflictWateras

aweaponintheconflictWateras

atriggeroftheconflict10

Notes:Worldwide;

1900

to

2022Sources:

Pacific

Institute;

ID:1386194;

Text:CairoReview

ofGlobal

AffairsRivers

of

discordConflictover

MENA’smajor

riversJordan

River:Themain

partoftheriver’s

basinis

shared

byJordan,Israel,

and

thePalestinianterritories

(specifically

theoccupied

West

Bank).Dueto

overpopulationandwars,

the

river

hasbeen

excessively

overdrawn

since

the

establishment

ofIsrael

in1948

–the

river’s

flow

isless

than10

percent

ofits

historical

average.

Israelistheriver’s

largest

consumer,

with

anannual

withdrawal

of

580

to640

millioncubicmeters.TigrisNileRiver:Flowing

through11

countries,the

Nile

River

supplieswater

to

atleast

250million

people

inAfrica.Egypt,Sudan,

andEthiopiahaveexchangedpolitical

conflictover

theGrandEthiopianRenaissanceDam,afivebillion

U.S.dollarproject.JordanEuphratesAsmore

than

1.4

million

people

soughtrefuge

inJordan

fromtheSyriancivil

war,Jordan’sresources

havebeen

put

underfurtherstrain,with

water

needs

expectedtooutstripsupplyby2025.ThePalestinians’access

to

thebasinhasbeen

fullycontrolled

byIsrael

since

1967.Althoughthe

West

Bankofficially

fallsunderthe

jurisdiction

ofthePalestinianAuthority,anydevelopment

ofwater-related

infrastructure

requires

restrictivepermission

from

Israeli

authorities.

Theaverage

dailywater

useofIsraelis

(300liters)

isatleast

fourtimes

thatof

PalestiniansintheWest

Bank

(73

liters)–theWorld

Health

Organization

recommends

adailyminimum

of100

liters

percapita.According

tothe

UN

Officeforthe

Coordination

ofHumanitarian

Affairs,thousandsof

PalestiniansintheWest

Bank

consume

aslittleas20

liters

ofwater

each

day.Tigris&Euphrates

rivers:Syria,Iraq,andTurkey

haveshared

disputesover

adamconstruction

inTurkey

thatdecreased

thedownstream

flow

of

the

EuphratesRiver.Syria’spolitical

instabilityand

civil

war

ledtothe

destruction

ofthecountry’sNileinfrastructure,

leaving

itatahigherrisk.11Sources:

Amnesty

International;

BBC;TCF;

UNESCWA;

UNOCHA;

Yahoo

Finance02Water

depletion?

Population

growth?

Agricultureandrenewable

water?

ClimatechangeDry

horizonsMENA‘swater

dilemmaPopulation

growthAgriculturalwater

useMENA’spopulation

will

soon

exceed

300

million–theregion’s

annualpopulationgrowth

issecond

only

to

sub-Saharan

Africa.While

domestic

water

usageisaminor

fraction

oftotalconsumption,

populationgrowth

substantiallyelevateswater

demand

across

allsectors,

mostly

industryand

agriculture,

emphasizingitsprofound

impacton

regional

water

resource

management.Theregion’s

agriculture

sector

haspersistently

fallenshort

of

meeting

risingfood

demand,resulting

inaheavy

reliance

onfood

imports.

This,along

with

thedoublingof

irrigated

landbetween

the

1960s

and1990s,

hasstrained

waterresources,

particularly

inIranandYemen,

where

over

90

percent

ofwater

isused

foragriculture.

This

hasraised

concerns

aboutfossil

water

depletion,especially

in

Gulfnationswhere

groundwater

isoverexploited

forirrigation.Renewable

waterClimate

changeTheregion

haswitnessed

adrasticreduction

inrenewable

water

resources

percapita,plummeting

byabout75

percent

between

1970

and

2020

duetopopulationgrowth.

While

percapitawater

consumption

inthe

region

hasgraduallydecreased,

ithasexceeded

theavailablerenewable

water

capacityinthe

last

twodecades,

challenging

the

sustainabilityof

freshwater

resources

duetofactorslikeclimate

change,overexploitation,

and

pollution.Climatechangefurtherworsens

thesituationthroughrising

temperatures,increased

evaporation,

andwater

pollution,impactingecosystems,

agriculture,industries,andtransboundarywater

disputes.Thecountries

of

the

GulfCooperation

Councilare

particularlyvulnerable

due

tolimited

renewable

waterresources

andinfrequent

rainfall.13Sources:

OECD;

UNDESA;UNFAOPopulation

growth

in

MENAMENA‘spopulation

isexpected

to

hit300

million

by2028Population

forecast

inMENA

from

2020

to

2040TheMENAregion

isexperiencing

aphenomenon

known

as

populationmomentum.Thisiswhere

each

new

generation

of

youngadultsislarger

thantheonebefore,resulting

inacontinualrise

inthenumber

ofbirthsover

time,even

with

adecreaseinfertility

rate.

Theregion’s

populationisincreasing

atthesecond-highest

rate

intheworld

aftersub-SaharanAfrica.MENA’s

populationis

forecast

to

cross

the300million

threshold

between

2025

and2028.Population

inmillions400358,73346,13333,6435030025020015010050321,18308,69296,02283,07273,9Formost

countries

inMENA,domestic

useaccountsforarelatively

small

share

ofconsumed

water.

However,

population

growth

directly

andindirectly

increaseswater

consumption

inallsectors

oftheeconomy.

Besides

domestic

water

use,populationgrowth

also

increases

thewater

demand

intheindustrialsector

and,most

importantly,

theagricultural

sector.

Egyptisexpected

to

beamong

themostaffected

dueto

itsmassive

population.Largestpopulations

inMENA

in2022020202022202520282031203420372040EgyptAlgeriaIraq14

Notes:(1)

MENA;

2020

to2040;

(2)

MENA;

2022;

forboth

data

sets,thecountries

included

wereAlgeria,Bahrain,

Egypt,

Iraq,Jordan,Kuwait,

Lebanon,

Oman,

Qatar,Saudi

Arabia,

Tunisia,

and

United

ArabEmiratesCountry

Insights;

UNDESA;various

sources(national

statistical

offices);ID:

1377703;

(2)

IMF;ID:804633;

Text:WorldBank;

ID:1135753;

PRBSources:

(1)Agricultural

water

usage

in

MENAAgriculturemade

up

themajority

of

water

consumption

inmost

MENA

countries

in2020Share

ofagriculture

from

total

water

withdrawal

inMENA

as

of2020,

bycountryTheagriculturesector

hasbeen

failingtomeet

theregion’s

increasing

food

demand

forseveral

decades.Theregion

hasthe

world’s

highest

dependency

onfood

imports,

surpassing65

percent

in2021.

MENA’sirrigated

land

doubled

between

the1960s

and

1990sdueto

population

growth

andthe

increase

infooddemand.

Agriculturemadeupatleast60

percent

oftotalwater

consumption

fornineMENAcountries

in2020,

with

Iranand

Yemen

toppingthelistwithshares

ofmore

than

90

percent.Shareoftotalwaterwithdrawals92%91%82%81%79%78%76%64%62%52%52%48%47%UAE38%36%33%IranSaudiArabiaEgyptTunisiaKuwaitJordanQatarYemenOmanIraqAlgeriaIsraelPalestinianterritoriesLebanonBahrainTotal

agricultural

water

withdrawals

as

ashareof

total

renewable

water

resourcesinMENAShareoftotalrenewable

waterresourcesPopulation

growth

hasputanunsustainabledemandon

agriculture,increasing

the

pressure

on

the

region’sshrinkingwater

resources.

In2020,

theamountofwater

consumed

byMENA’s

agriculturesector

wasmore

than

77

times

itsrenewable

water

resources.Fossil

water

depletion

isanurgent

issueinthe

MiddleEast,particularly

inGulfnationswhere

groundwaterhasbeen

overutilized

forirrigation

andagriculture.8000%7500%7000%6500%6000%5500%200020032006200920122015201815

Notes:(1)

MENA;

2020;

(2)

MENA;

2000

to

2020Sources:

(1)

(2)

UNFAO

(Aquastat);

ID:1364437;

ID:1378946;

Text:OECD;

UNFAO;

ID:1314076;

PRBWith

soaring

demand,

renewable

water

is

no

longer

renewableAsteady

declineinMENA’s

renewable

water

supplyThevolume

of

renewable

water

percapitainthe

MENA

region

hasdecreasedexponentially,

reaching

approximately

5,850

cubicmeters

in2020.

Between

1970and2020,

themean

amount

ofrenewable

water

resources

percapitafell

byabout75

percent,

primarily

duetopopulationgrowth.

AlthoughMENA’stotalwaterconsumption

percapita

hasdecreased

gradually,ithasexceeded

the

region’srenewable

water

capacity

over

thelasttwodecades.

Thenaturalwater

cycle

thatsuppliesrenewable

water

sources

is

affected

bychangesinclimate,overexploitation,

andpollution.

Thewithdrawal

ofrenewable

water

atsuchahighratedespite

the

water

cycle

challenges

thesustainability

of

renewable

freshwater

inthe

region.Volume

of

renewablewater

and

total

water

withdrawal

percapita

inMENACubic

meters

percapita

per

year25.00020.00015.00010.0005.000025.00020.00015.00010.0005.00001970

1972

1974

1976

1978

1980

1982

1984

1986

1988

1990

1992

1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020Supplyofrenewablewater

Waterwithdrawal16

Notes:(1)

MENA;

1970

to2020;

(2)

MENA;

1993

to

2020Sources:

(1)

(2)

UNFAO

(Aquastat);

ID:1379103;

ID:1379330;

Text:Hameed

etal.

(2019)Water

scarcity

and

climate

changeThecountries

oftheGulfCooperation

Council

arethemost

atrisk

of

renewable

water

depletionVolume

of

renewablewater

percapita

inMENA

in2020,

by

countryWithannualrenewable

water

suppliesofless

than1,000

cubicmeters

perperson,

Syria,Lebanon,andEgypt

fallundertheglobalwater

poverty

lineaccording

to

UN

standards.Therest

of

MENAcountries,

except

Iraq,fallunderabsolutewater

scarcity

withasupplyofless

than

500

cubicmeters

perperson.

WithinMENAsubregions,

GCCcountries

areatagreater

naturaldisadvantageduetothe

lackof

renewable

water

resources

and

therarity

ofrainfall.Cubic

meters

percapita

per

year2.5002.234,12.0001.500ClimatechangeintensifiesMENA’s

water

scarcity

with

risingtemperatures,

increasing

evaporation,

highersea

levels,

andpollution.

Thequality

of

freshwater

is

decliningdueto

theoverflowing

of

saltwater

into

freshwater

aquifersand

theincreasingwater

pollution.

Temperature

increase

inMENA

isacycle

thatworsens

withreduced

rainfall

and

theresulting

reduction

of

soilmoisture,

limitingtheevaporative

cooling

effect

inthe

already

aridenvironment

of

MENA’slands.Furtherdroughtsand

extremeweather

harmwater

systems,

impacting

agriculture,industries,

andlivelihoods.

Theregion’s

ecosystems,

adapted

todryconditions,struggledueto

theaccelerating

effects

of

climatechangeandescalating

transboundary

water

disputes.960,11.0005000659,7561,9390,5274,2266,1164,191,870,4

68,9

68,220,1

15,2

4,7Qatar

KuwaitIraqLebanonSyria

EgyptTunisiaAlgeriaJordanSaudiArabiaOmanPalestinianterritoriesYemenBahrainUAE17

Notes:MENA;

2020Sources:

UNFAO

(Aquastat);

ID:1379202;

Text:UN03Managing

the

water

crisis?

Desalination

projects?

Water

treatment?

AgriculturaltechnologyCreating

the

waves

of

changeInnovationsandsustainability

initiativestacklingwater

scarcityAmong

the

strategies

utilizedintheMENAregion

to

managewater

scarcity

arewater

desalination,

water

treatment,

and

investment

inagricultural

technology(agri-tech),

which

thischapterfocuses

on.These

three

foundationsrepresent

vitalapproaches

toenhancingwater

resource

availability,quality,and

efficiency.Inthe

MENA

region,

agri-tech

canplayasignificantrole

insupportingwater

useefficiency

andsolving

water

scarcity.

Witharid

and

semi-arid

climates

prevalentacross

muchof

the

region,

the

efficient

utilization

ofwater

resources

hasbecomeessential

forfood

security

and

agricultural

sustainability.Innovationssuchasprecision

agriculture,

dripirrigation,

sensor-based

monitoring

systems,

andcontrolled

environment

agricultureare

gaining

investors’

attention.

Suchapproaches

allow

year-round

cultivationwith

minimal

water

consumption,enablingfarmers

to

optimize

water

use.

Whilechallenges

persist,

suchasaccess

tofinancingandscalingup

technology

adoption,theprogress

madeinagri-tech

holdspromiseformitigatingwater

scarcity

and

fostering

more

resilient

andproductivefarmingsystems

across

theMENAregion.TheMiddleEastandNorth

Africaishome

tomore

than

50

percent

oftheworld’sdesalination

capacity.Desalination

isatechnology

thattapsinto

the

unlimitedresource

of

seawater

toalleviate

water

scarcity.

However,

itisnot

without

itschallenges,

includinghigh

operational

costs,substantial

energy

requirements,

andenvironmental

concerns

related

to

brinedisposal.Inorder

tomaximize

itsbenefitseffectively,

sustainabledeployment

andintegration

with

otherwater

managementstrategies

are

essential.However,

itiscrucial

torecognize

theinterconnectedness

of

thesesolutions,

whicharem