The Future of Water for Food
The next presentation in the Texas A&M Energy Institute Lecture Series, featuring Dr. Rabi H. Mohtar, the Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS) at the American University of Beirut (AUB), will be held on Wednesday, July 29, 2020, from 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CDT (GMT -5:00) through an online Zoom meeting. The topic will be “The Future of Water for Food.”
Abstract
The seminar looks into the global water and food security challenges and the potential and challenges for green water for food production and alternative water resources such as wastewater and gray water as alternative water to meet the growing water demand for agriculture. The seminar will conclude with high-level recommendations for the future of water for food.
Biography
Rabi H. Mohtar, the Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences (FAFS) at the American University of Beirut (AUB), is a Governor of the World Water Council, and Executive Board Member of the International Water Resources Association. Mohtar is also a TEES Research Professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering and the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University and an adjunct professor at Purdue University and at Texas A&M University at Qatar. Mohtar founded the Water-Energy-Food Nexus Initiative at Texas A&M University, where he is also a Faculty Affiliate of the Texas A&M Energy Institute. At AUB, Mohtar established the Water-Energy-Food-Health Nexus Renewable Resources Initiative (WEFRAH). At Purdue University, Mohtar was the inaugural director of Purdue’s Global Engineering Programs, and developed the concept of Global Design Teams: real-world, full-cycle design experiences that help raise global awareness. Mohtar’s research focuses on analytic frameworks for linking science and policy, pedostructure characterization of the soil-water medium, non-traditional water in agriculture, and applications for sustainable integrated water management. From 2012-2015, Mohtar was a member of the Global Agenda Council on Climate Change, and from 2009-2012, he was a member of the Global Agenda Council on Water Security, both of the World Economic Forum. He has organized numerous High-Level Panels and Special Sessions including World Water Forum, WATERSHED: World Water Day, organized by the Vatican and Club of Rome. Mohtar is a Senior Nonresident Fellow at OCP Policy Center and Fellow of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (2018). He is a Distinguished Alumnus of the American University of Beirut.