Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institut für Agrar- und Gartenbauwissenschaften

Open lecture "Food Security in Syria"

  • Wann 06.07.2023 von 14:00 bis 16:00
  • Wo Hannoversche Str. 27/Philippstr. 13, Haus 12, H3
  • Name des Kontakts Tilman Brück
  • iCal

Dear colleagues and students,

it is my pleasure to invite you to a lecture on "Food Security in Syria" by Dr Mike Robson, FAO Representative in Syria, on Thursday, 6 July 2023, from 2pm till 4pm at the Thaer-Institute of Humboldt-University in Hörsaal 3, first floor, Haus 12, Campus Nord (Hannoversche Straße 27).

Mike Robson holds a BA in Chemistry from the University of Oxford and a PhD in Economic History from the LSE (Business History Unit). From 1989 till 1996, he worked as a management consultant at Coopers & Lybrand in London and then joined the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in Rome. At the FAO, he has had a distinguished career. He worked on the use of ICT in agriculture, was a programme manager in the crops division, the FAO representative in Bangladesh from 2013 till 2016, a Senior Advisor to the Deputy Director-General Programmes, and, most recently, has been the FAO Representative in Syria since 2018.

The lecture will present a case study on tackling food insecurity in a protracted crisis country (Syria). It will describe the levels of food insecurity and its main drivers; the state of the food system in Syria; and the main early recovery challenges facing Syria. The lecture will emphasise the importance of two key concepts - the humanitarian-development-peace agenda and the water-environment-food nexus - and present lessons from the Food and Agriculture Organisation's early recovery and resilience programme in Syria over the past five years.  The reflections and general conclusions will be applicable beyond the Syrian context.

The lecture is a core part of the Masters course "Economics of Agricultural and Rural Development" but all interested students and staff are welcome to attend. The lecture will be recorded for teaching purposes.

Please feel free to share this invitation with fellow students and colleagues. Apologies for cross-postings.


Best wishes,
Tilman Brück