As tensions rise in one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints, the ripple effects go far beyond oil—touching food systems, climate pressures, and regional stability

By Dr. Osama Moh’d Gazal, Environmental and Climate Change Advisor, Jordan

The Arabs have controlled the region (The Gulf of the black gold oil), for a longer period, especially considering the spread of Islam and modern Arab states’ establishment. Persians, then known as the Sassanids, controlled it for about 1000 years before the Arab conquest. The term “Persian Gulf” was commonly used historically, while “Arabian Gulf” is often used by Arab states. The name reflects the region’s complex history and competing claims. Returning to the Historical overview of the strait we can find that Persians were the first major power to control the Gulf (definitely with the Strait of Hormuz), but Arabs have had a longer stretch of influence overall.

Historically, the name “Persian Gulf” stuck in Western maps, but Arab states prefer “Arabian Gulf” or “Gulf”. The modern geopolitics of the Gulf involves complex regional dynamics, with Arab states like Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar playing key roles. Iran’s influence and tensions with Arab states, especially over issues like nuclear deals and regional power struggles, are significant factors. However, in the last 20 years, after the Iraqi regime of Saddam was destroyed, the conflict between Arab and Iran escalated into three main dimensions (Iran-Arab tensions: Proxy conflicts in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon, Competition for resources and influence, lastly, and the most important, the Security pacts where US and European alliances with Gulf states). The Gulf has been a contested region, with various empires vying for control.

Amid the repercussions of war, the struggle for control, the imposition of influence, and the assertion of dominance by the strongest power in the region, the most potent leverage has emerged in the hands of the Persians, for now, the Hormuz. Whether this leverage remains in their grasp or is lost will depend on the unfolding course of the conflict. The Persian/Arabian Gulf has been strategically significant since ancient times, though it has experienced prolonged periods of Arab control, particularly following the collapse of the Persian Empire during the era of Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab. With the decline of the Arab Caliphate and the rise of the Ottoman Empire, Persian influence over the region was reasserted.

Today, we are witnessing a renewed struggle for dominance and control over one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints. The Strait of Hormuz represents a formidable asset for the Persians, who seek to leverage it to exert pressure on the global stage, particularly by influencing oil prices.

As one of the eight most strategically significant straits worldwide, it facilitates the transit of approximately 90% of globally traded petroleum fuels. More specifically, it ranks as the second most vital maritime passage, governing over 26% of the world’s seaborne petroleum trade. Any sustained disruption or restriction of maritime movement through this strait would not only jeopardize oil and natural gas supplies. Still, it would also have profound implications for food security, both regionally and globally.

From the outset, international warnings have emphasized the necessity of maintaining the unimpeded functionality of this critical waterway through diplomatic engagement and commitment to peaceful conflict resolution. The focus has been on upholding humanitarian considerations and ensuring that the strait continues to serve its vital role in global trade. However, amid escalating military tensions and intensifying geopolitical rivalries, diplomatic channels and multilateral agreements have collapsed, and the security of international maritime routes has been severely compromised. The prevailing dynamic is now dictated by the logic of military force.

We must broaden our assessment of the potential consequences beyond the prevailing discourse centered on oil. While economists and military analysts have naturally concentrated on the hydrocarbon sector given its strategic importance and the immediate disruptions to energy markets caused by deteriorating security in the Strait of Hormuz, the repercussions extend far beyond petroleum. Despite the overwhelming military superiority of the primary adversary of the Persians, an ally of Arab states in this confrontation, the strait remains a highly advantageous asset for the Persians in this struggle. Even if the conflict remains confined to sporadic threats and patrols by small naval vessels, the strategic value of this chokepoint endures. However, the current reality involves more than posturing; it includes the mining of waters and tangible measures to maintain control over this historically contested passage.

Now we can’t understand issues related to the Oil-Food Security Nexus without returning to the recent Oil Price Shocks and Food Security in the region, recognizing that these are food-import-dependent nations. The 1991 Gulf War led to a sharp increase in oil prices, which in turn raised transportation and production costs for food commodities. This resulted in higher food prices, disproportionately affecting low-income households. Countries in the Arabian Gulf region, already reliant on food imports, faced exacerbated food insecurity due to increased costs and disrupted supply chains. The current crisis calls for global food price volatility. The war-induced oil price spike contributed to global food price instability, emphasizing the vulnerability of food systems to energy market shocks.

Current oil prices already offer a glimpse into the potential impact of a full-scale closure of the strait. Yet, the threat to global food security is equally dire and will become increasingly evident over time, affecting both the region and the world at large.

Furthermore, the environmental toll is mounting, with elevated greenhouse gas emissions resulting from military operations, the destruction of vast fuel storage facilities, and the potential ignition of oil wells should the conflict escalate. (The consequences will not be confined to the Gulf states and Iraq, affecting tens of millions of people, but will reverberate across the interconnected global system. Food security is at risk, agricultural productivity will decline, and production costs will surge. Farmers will face increased operational expenses and greater difficulties in exporting goods, all of which will contribute to rising prices and exacerbate food insecurity. This raises a critical question: Are the countries in the region prepared to withstand these far-reaching and debilitating indirect consequences should the conflict persist? This burden will weigh most heavily on nations with fragile economies and vulnerable food systems.

Natural disasters caused by climate change were historically several times more devastating than those caused by other factors, but the impact of these disasters has now become more balanced as a result of humanity’ ability to adapt to climate change and lessen loss of life. However, the impact of these calamities on food security remains significant due to the lack of sustainable human agricultural systems. Military conflicts and wars related to the control and expansion of influence, such as those currently taking place in the Middle Eastern Gulf region, known as the Arabian or Persian Gulf today, are among the most significant human-related activities contributing to climate change, given their link to emissions that exacerbate this phenomenon.

Despite my scientific perspective and in-depth understanding of climate change, which is regarded as a natural periodic phenomenon on Earth that existed before humans and their activities, human-caused pollution has piqued the interest of numerous experts. They investigated the potential influence of higher concentrations of specific human-caused emissions on climate change using mathematical and statistical models. And because many activists in this field are not specialists but merely amateurs in the world of climate change, participating in workshops, traveling, and gaining fame, the idea of real climate change has shifted to be associated only with the gas emissions resulting from direct human activities, such as energy production from fossil fuels, or indirect activities, such as livestock and poultry farming, among other activities that many accuse of causing climate change.

Climate change is a reality, despite mistakes in mathematical and statistical models that underpin all scenario forecasts based on carbon dioxide levels, despite studies showing that carbon dioxide concentrations were far higher during ice ages. These errors result from assigning scientific topics to unqualified individuals who are only interested in money and fame and do not delve into understanding the meanings of the phenomenon of climate change in a scientifically precise manner, rather than going beyond logic and science in terms of Earth’s climate history. Although their violations of logic have become sophisticated and presented through statistical and mathematical models that astonish people and even impress those managing these models into believing results that are built on non-scientific foundations, without considering a scientific historical study of Earth’s climate and the real factors influencing this climate, and excluding factors related to the primary energy source for the planets of the solar system and the changes occurring in this system.

In my opinion, any model intended to imitate reality and predict the future is a failure if it does not account for sun-related phenomena and their impact on Earth’s climate. However, as scientists, we must acknowledge that climate change is a reality that we face, and we must adapt as humans to the dangers of climate change, particularly during periods of drought and rainfall scarcity, as well as seasonal overlap and irregular rainfall distribution in comparison to what we and the Earth’s biosphere are accustomed to. And let us not forget the risk that has gone unnoticed due to the focus on global warming and the greenhouse effect, which is associated with a fall in temperature as well as a reduction in carbon dioxide levels, resulting in reduced agricultural production and affecting food security.

Interestingly, this more genuine hazard, from which we are now clearly experiencing, demonstrates that death rates from severe cold waves greatly outnumber those from heat waves. Many specialized scientists have written on the subject, and their studies have demonstrated that the future will be worse, especially as the current solar cycle brings us into a period of low solar activity, increasing the risk of the Earth entering a little ice age.

Our readiness for food security concerns is inadequate and has not been thoroughly investigated, as we continue to rely on investment strategies in four key crops: wheat, rice, corn, and soy, to assure more efficient production, but with less diversification and greater fragility. Our agricultural policies have utterly overlooked the value of crop diversity in ensuring a more resilient and sustainable food system in the face of climate change and the hazards of disrupted supply chains, as is currently occurring because of the Strait of Hormuz issue.

With great thankfulness, the focus and debate were on human activities that produce gas emissions that are thought to exacerbate or accelerate climate change on Earth. However, there has been only timid discussion of the impact of wars in this equation, as they are regarded as one of the most prominent and dangerous reasons, not only for the direct suffering of peoples involved in conflicts or forced to participate in bitter wars between great powers seeking control and extending influence, but also for the indirect effects, which are regarded as the most difficult and dangerous in the long run.

Conflicts, the desire for control, and the expansion of influence, away from the meanings of humanity and the spirit of sharing in the Earth’s resources, and prioritizing the principles of diplomacy and agreements that guarantee everyone’s rights, lead to an increased focus on heavy military industries and the pollution and gas emissions they produce, which are accused by mathematical and statistical model studies of causing climate change, global warming, and extreme events related to heat waves or extreme cold periods or heavy rain and hard drought periods.

The Gulf War and subsequent conflicts underscore the intricate relationship between oil prices and food security. Policymakers must consider the food security implications of oil price volatility when addressing regional stability and global food systems. Representing Jordan, our recommendations include:

1. Diversify energy sources to reduce dependence on oil.

2. Enhance regional food production and trade cooperation.

3. Implement policies to mitigate the impact of oil price shocks on vulnerable populations.

4. To address future challenges following the escalation of global food insecurity risks as a result of the Strait of Hormuz crisis, it is critical to first defuse the crisis and develop plans to prevent vital waterways for global food and energy supply chains from becoming threats and tools in the hands of regimes that disregard international law and respect for the integrity of global trade, exploiting such situations to exert pressure and control. Perhaps the solution is to put these critical waterways under international supervision.

5. Furthermore, it is critical to expand efforts to urge countries to strengthen their food security strategy and prepare for emergencies, whether natural disasters caused by climate change, such as droughts, or by conflict.

The Persians are known for wisdom, civilization, legacy, and a worldview with deep roots in administration and the capacity to govern and expand their power. But the problem with the Persians is not with the people who carry on this great heritage, which I personally respect and admire; rather, the problem is with the system that uses religious beliefs to control and be hostile to others, not with the ancient Persian civilization. Despite America’s vast dominance, there have been several studies and projections, but has Iran opted to commit suicide? And will it take positive steps for the benefit of its people and the region, as Japanese Emperor Hirohito did after World War II, adopting a peace, development, and renunciation of foreign interventions and the nuclear issue to save the country (similar to Japan’s renaissance), because continuing on the path of confrontation is very costly and will lead to Iran’s destruction and return to the Stone Age.

The Middle East, particularly Jordan, faces significant food security challenges exacerbated by regional conflicts, economic vulnerabilities, and climate-related stressors. Key factors complicating food security in Jordan include:

1. Trade Disruptions: Jordan’s reliance on imports for staple foods (e.g., wheat, sugar) makes it vulnerable to trade disruptions in neighboring countries, especially given the current regional instability.

2. Economic Pressures: High unemployment, inflation, and a substantial public debt burden strain household purchasing power, limiting access to food.

3. Water Scarcity: Jordan’s severe water scarcity impacts agricultural production, increasing dependence on imports and vulnerability to global price shocks.

4. Refugee Crisis: Hosting a large refugee population (e.g., Syrians) strains food systems and increases demand for limited resources.

5. Climate Change: Decreasing rainfall and increasing temperatures threaten agricultural productivity, further straining food availability.

6. Global Price Volatility: Jordan’s import-dependent food system is exposed to international price fluctuations, particularly for staples like wheat and oil.

Jordan’s food security is intricately linked to regional stability, global market trends, and climate resilience. Addressing these challenges requires, enhancing regional trade cooperation, investing in water-efficient agriculture, implementing social protection programs for vulnerable populations, diversifying energy sources to reduce import bills. We pray for a peaceful resolution to this conflict and an end to power struggles that come at the expense of peaceful nations.

May God grant the peoples of this region the strength to overcome these tribulations and crises, and to transcend the sectarian divisions and animosities that have plagued them for decades. We also pray for the protection of our leadership, our people, and our nation, Jordan, as an oasis of security, peace, love, and coexistence in a region that has long endured more than its share of global conflicts.

Editor’s note: Green Prophet, founded by Karin Kloosterman, has been a leading voice on ecological issues in the Middle East for 20 years, while following Hormuz, Iran, water, war, freight, food security and climate resilience across the region. For related reading:

A Fact-Based Reflection on Sustainability and Tourism in Hormuz

The Aga Khan is greenwashing their awards

Design a Bridge for the Strait of Hormuz

Electric and hydrogen long-haul trucks are finally leaving the prototype era

The future of trucking and freight is electric and hydrogen

Tesla Semi, electric road trains and the safer freight future

From “Water Terrorist” to Global Laureate: Iran’s Kaveh Madani Wins the Nobel of Water

Renewables hit 5149 GW in 2025 as the world edges away from oil shocks and fossil-Iran’s water mafia and thirst for war leaves the country on brink of being dry.

The post Hormuz 2026 Conflict Poses an Energy and Food Security Dilemma in a Warming World appeared first on Green Prophet.

Atmospheric water generators (AWGs) sound like magic: machines that can pull drinking water out of air. The idea is mentioned in the Bible, where the elders would pray for water collected as dew on plants and the catch on turning this into a machine is in the physics. To turn invisible vapor into liquid, you must remove heat, especially the latent heat of condensation. In real machines, that usually means refrigeration (cooling air below its dew point) or heating/desorbing moisture from sorbents. Either way, energy use rises fast as humidity drops. While many solutions exist on the market, the solutions aren’t magic. Too much energy needs to go into the AWG machines to make the water from thin air concept work.

Peer-reviewed assessments put many active AWGs in the rough range of ~0.35 to >1.1 kWh per liter depending on climate and design see this paper. A broader scientific review of atmospheric water harvesting thermodynamics estimates maximum yields around 0.34 to0.73 L/kWh under various assumptions, equivalent to roughly ~1.4 to 2.9 kWh per liter in the “best case” envelope. See PNIH resource. Lab and field results can be lower or higher depending on temperature, humidity, airflow, and heat exchange losses.

The core problems of AWG, water from air generators

• Low humidity = tiny water per cubic meter of air. The drier the air, the more air you must process to get a liter, which means bigger fans, larger heat exchangers, and more power.
• Cooling penalty. Condensation-based AWGs must cool air below dew point; that’s energy-intensive, especially in hot-dry regions where dew point can be very low.
• Heat management. You must dump heat to the environment (or recover it). Poor heat rejection and frosting risks can crater performance.
• Water quality isn’t “free.” Collected water still needs filtration/UV/mineralization and safe storage, adding energy and maintenance.

So how can AWGs be solved?

The most promising pathways don’t “beat physics” — they change the system boundary:

• Use low-grade heat or solar thermal to regenerate sorbents instead of running compressors. MOF-based devices have shown solar-driven harvesting in arid climates (Kim et al., in this 2018 Nature article).
• Hybridize with HVAC/dehumidification you already pay for to run. If a building must remove humidity anyway, capturing and polishing that water can be “incremental” rather than “extra.” While it might not run showers, the water can be used to water gardens or flush toilets. See our article on top uses for AC water.
• Raise efficiency via better sorbents + heat recovery. New cycling strategies and materials aim to cut regeneration energy and speed cycles (Kang et al., 2024).
• Target the right use cases. Emergency backup, remote sites, islands, and places where trucking water is expensive can justify higher kWh/L.

10 promising companies in the AWG space

1. SOURCE Global (solar “hydropanels”) — promising for off-grid drinking water where sunlight is abundant (SOURCE how it works).
2. Watergen — large deployments and claimed efficiency improvements; best fit in warm/humid conditions. See our past article on Watergen.
3. Genesis Systems — containerized systems positioned for disaster resilience and humid climates.
4. Aquaria — scaling “water from the sky” for housing developments; success depends on cost per liter vs local supply (Time on Aquaria).
5. Skysource / Skywater Alliance (WEDEW) — notable for renewable-energy framing and resilience applications (XPRIZE profile).
6. AirJoule — one to watch if real-world data confirms lower energy via novel separation/recovery approaches (AirJoule investor deck).

   

7. Uravu Labs — interesting liquid-desiccant path tied to renewables and local bottling models (Mongabay India).
8. Kara Water — consumer appliances; compelling product story, but energy economics must be transparent (Kara Water).
9. EcoloBlue — long-running commercial/home units; performance varies heavily with climate (EcoloBlue specs).
10. WaHa from Saudi Arabia is positioning around “water + dry air” and grid-independent operation; worth watching for verified field performance (WaHa). Professor Omar Yaghi, a distinguished chemist from the University of California, Berkeley, and pioneer of reticular chemistry (inventor of Metal-Organic Frameworks/MOFs). Born in Jordan and working in California, he was awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, shared with Richard Robson and Susumu Kitagawa, for this work. Waha is active in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

    

    

AWGs are rarely the cheapest way to make water where pipelines, wells, or desalination are available. They are commonly used by armies to create water in remote locations where energy isn’t an issue. Diesel or solar does the heavy lifting. But as materials improve, and as systems tap waste heat, solar thermal, or existing dehumidification loads, AWGs can become a practical niche tool, especially for resilient, point-of-use drinking water in the places that need it most in off-grid sites and in emergency settings.

Let’s aim for the day when fusion energy is real, and we can all pull water from the air to drink. Just add some Mayu minerals to make the water work well for your body.

The post What are AWG air-water generators, and why they aren’t a golden-bullet solution (yet) appeared first on Green Prophet.

Jordan, which has long received a lion’s share of USAID for survival, and which receives $1.5 billion USD every year to help with water and basic needs, is one of the poorest countries and most water-scarce countries on Earth. In parts of Amman, the most unwalkable city on the planet, households still receive municipal water only once a week. You order a truck and a you pay $50 or so for the company to fill up your water tank. If you are lucky, you build 2 or 3 tanks so you can be sure about your next shower.

National renewable freshwater availability stands at well under 100 cubic meters per person annually, which is far below the international benchmark for “absolute scarcity.” And Jordan has started building itself as a greenhouse and agriculture center of the region.

Now Jordan is advancing one of the the largest infrastructure project in its history: the Aqaba–Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance Project. The plan links a massive Red Sea desalination plant to a 450-kilometer pipeline that will transport water north to the capital. An original plan over the years was the Red Dead Canal, a partnership with Israel. But after decades of inaction from both sides, they want to do it alone if they can pull off the billions in financing needed.

In 2025, the Jordanian government signed agreements with a consortium led by Meridiam and SUEZ, alongside VINCI Construction and Orascom Construction. Under a 30-year concession agreement, the consortium will design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the system before transferring it back to the Jordanian government. The total investment is estimated at approximately $6 billion USD.

What the Desalination Project Will Deliver

At full capacity, the system is expected to supply 300 million cubic meters of desalinated water per year, covering roughly one-third to 40% of Jordan’s drinking water demand.

The system includes:

• A large reverse osmosis desalination plant near Aqaba on the Red Sea
• A 300-mile conveyance pipeline to Amman
• High-capacity pumping stations lifting water more than 1,000 meters in elevation
• Expanded storage infrastructure in the Amman region

The plant’s projected output — about 800,000 to 850,000 cubic meters per day — would make it one of the largest seawater reverse osmosis facilities in the world. Saudi Arabia, which borders Jordan, currently runs the largest desalination plant in the world, a title taken from Israel not long ago. Israel has long been a pioneer of membrane technology, which is the technology needed to separate salt and brine from the water.

According to SUEZ, the project “will significantly strengthen Jordan’s long-term water security while integrating environmental best practices in desalination.”

Who Will Profit from Jordan’s Water?

The financing structure is a public-private partnership. The consortium will raise a significant portion of the capital through a mix of private equity and project debt. Multilateral development banks are expected to participate, including institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Finance Corporation, alongside export credit agencies and commercial lenders.

Jordan’s government will ultimately purchase the water under long-term offtake agreements, creating predictable revenue streams for the concession holders over three decades.

That means: Infrastructure investors like Meridiam earn a stable, long-term return. SUEZ generates operating revenue from managing one of the region’s most strategic water assets. Construction giants VINCI Construction and Orascom Construction secure multi-billion-dollar engineering contracts. Lenders collect interest over the concession period. Jordan gains water security.

The question now is whether the financial model keeps water affordable for citizens while delivering returns to international investors? Locals I have spoke with found the cost of water to be negligible in their montly expenses, but will the costs increase going forward? In some countries the cost of water is free, and in others water is difficult to obtain, like on islands in Thailand where you can’t think of drinking tap water. Desalinated water is drinkable, as long as added minerals are put in place. Can Jordan do this?

Another option is for Jordan to strengthen trade with Saudi Arabia, which operates extensive desalination infrastructure along the Red Sea, producing over 3 billion cubic meters of water daily and accounting for nearly 50% of global desalination capacity. If the Vision 2030 ever comes to be, this is probably what will happen in reality.

The post Jordan’s $6 Billion Aqaba–Amman Desalination Project from the Red Sea Moves Forward appeared first on Green Prophet.

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Over the past decade, scientists and designers have increasingly recognized that the climate challenge is not only how we build, but what we build with. The construction industry is among the world’s largest polluters, and cement production alone accounts for roughly 8 percent of global carbon emissions.

In response, researchers worldwide are developing alternative building materials with lower environmental footprints—often based on recycled or locally abundant resources. One such innovation is now emerging from Israel: a building brick made largely from recycled Dead Sea salt.

Related: she makes pretty things out of Dead Sea crystals

Turning waste into raw material

Construction places an enormous burden on natural resources. According to the United Nations Environment Program, the sector consumes around 36 percent of global energy, contributes nearly 40 percent of CO₂ emissions, and is responsible for significant air and ecosystem pollution.

Israel, meanwhile, has limited natural construction resources. One of its most abundant materials is found at the Dead Sea, one of the world’s largest sources of industrial salt and potash. Each year, millions of tons of excess salt accumulate in evaporation ponds as a byproduct of mineral extraction. The buildup raises the lakebed, alters shorelines, and presents a long-term environmental challenge.

For decades, this surplus salt was treated as waste.

Since 2015, Danny Mendler, a professor in the Chemistry Department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has been working to change that perception. His research treats Dead Sea salt not as a nuisance to be removed, but as a raw material that can be refined and reused.

Mendler developed a process that compresses salt with a small percentage of additional materials—around five percent—under high pressure to create solid bricks with strength approaching that of conventional concrete.

“If we can replace even a fraction of cement with salt, the environmental impact would be substantial,” Mendler explains. “Reducing cement use directly reduces carbon emissions.”

From chemistry lab to architectural design

In 2025, the research moved beyond the laboratory through a collaboration with architecture students at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. As part of the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning’s Studio 1:1 program, led by Michal Bleicher and Dan Price, students translated the material into a workable building system.

The group examined the physical qualities of salt—its mass, translucency, and structural behavior—and designed a prototype structure they called the Mediterranean Igloo. Through this process, they defined a standardized brick size of 8 × 8 × 24 centimeters, a 1:3 ratio that allows modular flexibility in construction.

The outcome was a uniform, scalable brick made primarily from Dead Sea salt—adaptable in shape, thickness, and surface texture, and compatible with contemporary building needs. Compared with conventional materials, the salt bricks offer a lower-pollution alternative while repurposing an existing environmental burden.

International recognition

The project was presented in October at Change: The Shape of Transformation, part of the Venice Architecture Biennale. Selected from 55 academic institutions worldwide, the Technion team was among just ten invited to exhibit.

The students transported physical salt bricks to Venice, drawing significant interest from architects and researchers. According to Bleicher, the response underscored growing global attention to material innovation in architecture.

“This is a material that is both natural and engineered,” she says. “Our next goal is to construct a full-scale structure in Israel using these bricks. We believe this approach can turn a serious environmental problem into a practical solution.”

What stands in the way

Despite its promise, widespread adoption is not imminent. The construction industry is notoriously conservative, and introducing new materials requires years of testing, certification, and regulatory approval.

“Every new building material must pass extensive strength, durability, and safety standards,” Bleicher notes. “That takes time, funding, and supportive regulation—which is often lacking.”

Still, the idea that decades of accumulated salt waste could become part of a cleaner construction future reflects a broader shift in environmental thinking: viewing crisis not only as a risk, but as a catalyst for innovation.

This article was prepared by Zavit, the news agency of the Israeli Society for Ecology and Environmental Sciences. It is republished with permission.

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Can a cross-border hospital between Israel and Jordan anchor environmental cooperation too?

Israel and Jordan are moving ahead with one of the most ambitious cross-border development projects in the Middle East: the Jordan Gateway, a joint industrial and employment zone straddling the border near the Jordan River Crossing. Conceived during the 1994 Israel–Jordan peace talks, the zone is finally gaining momentum after years of legal disputes and construction delays.

Now, Israeli officials have confirmed that a hospital on the Israeli side, designed primarily to treat Jordanian patients, is under active government consideration. We’ve written about water cooperation and the Red Dead Canal which never happened. And now that Israel is cooperating with India, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the region is gearing up for movement of goods, people and know-how form the east to the west.

The proposed medical centre, described by Emek HaMaayanot Regional Council head Itamar Matiash as “a centre for cancer treatment, so that people from Jordan or further away could come and receive treatment,” would become the flagship of a wider cluster of medical, academic and innovation-based services planned for the Israeli half of the zone.

Meanwhile, the Jordanian side is already home to several low-tech factories aimed at reducing unemployment, which remains around 18 per cent in the kingdom compared with roughly 3 per cent in Israel.

The defining feature of the Jordan Gateway is its carefully engineered border model. Workers from both countries will be able to enter the shared industrial zone while remaining inside an “ex-territorial bubble”. Jordanians entering the Israeli zone will not be granted entry to Israel beyond the site, and Israelis crossing to the Jordanian side will not enter Jordan proper. Full entry into either country will continue to require the formal Allenby Crossing procedures.

This controlled permeability reflects both diplomatic pragmatism and urgent security realities following the 2023 Hamas-led attack and subsequent regional instability, as well as recent violent incidents involving drivers crossing from Jordan into Israel to commit acts of terror. But not everyone should suffer from terrorism.

Beyond bilateral cooperation, the project’s strategic significance extends far beyond the Jordan Valley. The site is now positioned as a critical node in the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), the US-backed transport vision designed to link Indian manufacturing hubs to Gulf ports, Israel and ultimately to European markets. This route circumvents passing through Iranian waters and areas of the Red Sea being terrorized by Yemen’s Houthis and Somalian pirates.

Under current planning, goods could cross into Israel at the Jordan Gateway, be transferred onto rail lines to Haifa Port and then shipped onwards to Europe. Officials from the United States and European Union have already conducted site visits and expressed interest in the zone’s potential role as a resilient logistics alternative to traditional Red Sea and Suez routes.

But if the Jordan Gateway is to become a model for regional integration, its long-term success will depend as much on environmental governance as on geopolitics. The Jordan River Valley is an ecologically fragile corridor long damaged by over-extraction, pollution and climate-driven water scarcity.

Fortunately, the region already hosts some of the world’s most established cross-border environmental collaborations.

EcoPeace Middle East founded by Gidon Bromberg (and featured on Green Prophet regularly) —bringing together Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli practitioners—has spent decades advocating joint water management and ecological restoration.

Its “Green Blue Deal for the Middle East” proposes exactly the type of shared environmental planning the Jordan Gateway will require. Likewise, the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, located near the Israel–Jordan border, has trained more than 1,800 Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian and international students in solar energy, desert agriculture and water-scarce resilience.

These networks offer rare and durable frameworks for cooperation that continue even during periods of political tension. Participation by Jordanian and Palestinian students, however, is often kept discreet, as some prefer not to publicize their involvement in cross-border programs to avoid potential social pressures when returning to their home communities.

If aligned with such environmental expertise, the Jordan Gateway could evolve into more than an industrial park or logistics hub. It could become a proof-of-concept for environmentally grounded peacebuilding—a space where economic incentives, ecological restoration and pragmatic diplomacy reinforce one another. In a region where borders often divide ecosystems that must function as a whole, this may be the most significant experiment of all. Peace comes only through shared values, and content.

Without that, peace making is an empty word.

“For a long time, my soul dwelt with those who hate peace,” says Psalm 120.

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Legalization of recreational marijuana in American states is on the upswing, spurring entrepreneurs to devise new ways to use the flowering psychoactive herb such as CBD and THC as an ingredient in retail food products. California-based chef Christopher Sayegh is taking Arab haute cuisine even higher, cooking up traditional Middle Eastern fare infused with cannabis.

Marijuana edibles created by companies such as Wyld offer a popular alternative to the traditional way we enjoy weed (smoking marijuana by joint, pipe, or bong).

They also offer a convenient – and discreet – way to consume cannabis, particularly for those who dislike smoke. Many users report that edibles offer a more relaxing high than smoking pot – described as a “full body” high instead of a “head” high.

On the downside, the effects of edibles can be unpredictable, varying wildly among users.

To date, 24 US states have legalized medical marijuana and recreational pot use is fully legal for adults in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia. Cannabis is now legal in Canada. As the stigma surrounding marijuana gradually lessens, the entrepreneurial rush to capitalize on its appeal increases.

According to cannabis investment and research firm Arcview Group, legal pot sales in the US totalled $1.2 billion in 2015, a 232 percent increase over 2014.  They predict sales to exceed $22 billion by 2020.

Let’s get back in the kitchen with Chef Sayegh. Midway to a degree in molecular biology, he dropped out of university to explore cooking, then honed his culinary skills working in Michelin-starred restaurants in New York and California.

Sayegh got in at the start of the edible drug craze. In 2014 he started The Herbal Chef, his Los Angeles-based business that focuses on cannabis-spiked foods. “I am trying to give people a cerebral experience,” 24-year-old Sayegh told Indoology. “But I’m also really careful in how I take them along on this journey.”

“I am literally changing people’s brain chemistry as the dishes go on,” he said, “By the third course you feel it a little, by the fourth a bit more and by the fifth course, you’re starting to hit your groove. So it’s like a symphony,” he added. “I have to make sure that as the come-up is happening, the dishes correspond with that and as it’s coming down, the same happens.”

Pot food products are made by infusing “normal” recipes with cannabis. The first wave of edibles came in the shape of simple snacks, think pot-laced baked goods, candy and popcorn. Sayegh took it up several notches, introducing cannabis to haute cuisine. He works exclusively on private affairs for people who hold medical marijuana cards. His meals, which cost up to $500 each, aim to bring diners on a unique “immersive” journey.  It’s not just about getting stoned.

The Jordanian-born cook fills syringes with a cannabis compound, and injects sauces, breads, and juicy cuts of meat. He experiments with classic Middle Eastern fare such as stuffed grape leaves and falafel, and puts a nouveau twist on Levantine ingredients: pot-primed pomegranate sorbet, and cannabis and chickpea beignets.

He has cooked up “medicated” oysters, a decidedly non-halal dish. But he returns to his roots with za’atar-topped pot biscuits (below).

Sayegh says that getting high on a cannabis meal is not a joke. “You have to be extremely careful because not only does heat play a very important role when cooking with cannabis, but you’re also taking people on a trip, literally, and you have a responsibility to make sure it’s done right.”

Consumer advisory:

There are real differences between eating and smoking cannabis. When smoked, cannabinoids enter the body through the lungs. The cannabinoids in edibles are absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in a more intense high that lasts much longer. Effects from marijuana edibles take longer to start working, usually up to an hour. However, effects reportedly last longer than smoked weed.

State laws require that total milligrams of THC and number of servings be included on the wrappings of pre-packaged foods.  There is currently no standardized regulation to advise consumers to THC content of individually cooked meals. Weight, gender, and metabolism influence how fast you’ll feel the effect from edibles.

Signs of an edibles overdose include paranoia, lack of coordination and hallucinations. Symptoms usually subside within a few hours. Stay calm, stay hydrated and eat non-cannabis food.

Images from The Herbal Chef Instagram site

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In a region long marked by political divides, armed conflict, and environmental degradation, EcoPeace Middle East is quietly advancing the power of peacebuilding. Peace through education. Through its cross-border teacher tours in the Jordan Valley, EcoPeace is bringing together educators from Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian territories to address critical environmental issues.

EcoPeace has offices in Tel Aviv, Israel; Amman, Jordan; and Ramallah, located in the West Bank. It exists as one of the only organizations working together across these three locations. Their goal is ambitious, complex, and challenging: to utilize environmental challenges as a catalyst for regional cooperation. For two decades, their work has been shaped by a truth that transcends borders.

See Related Article: EcoPeace gets peacebuilding award

The Jordan River, stretching from the heights of Mount Hermon to the lowest point on Earth’s surface—the Dead Sea—is a symbol of biodiversity, religion, and culture. However, it has suffered from decades, if not centuries, of abuse. For years, raw sewage from countries, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories, has been poured into its waters. More than 600,000 Jordanians and 60,000 Palestinians continue to discharge waste into the river basin. Additionally, multiple dams have altered the flow and the stretch of the river downstream from the Sea of Galilee, which is significantly polluted. 

Yet, the mindsets and actions of those living in areas surrounding the Jordan River are undergoing a change. Israeli initiatives are invested in cleaner water, infrastructure, and sewage treatment. Both state-led and NGO efforts drive this renewed focus on the restoration. These efforts are slowly but surely transforming once-over-polluted areas into zones of rehabilitation, use, and recreation. Increased cooperation, driven by EcoPeace, has allowed for coordinated responses to the shared environmental threat. These cooperation efforts are not only cleaning the Jordan River, but are also creating new channels for positive regional dialogue.

One of the most effective ways EcoPeace advances its mission is by targeting educators. Each year, the organization hosts educational conferences specifically designed for teachers, primarily those in biology, ecology, and related fields. Approximately 25 teachers from Israel, Jordan, and Palestine participate in each session. These sessions focus not only on the Jordan River being a shared resource and a symbol of regional interdependence, but also on the importance of preserving it. Additionally, they focus on the interactions between teachers from the conflicting groups.

They are designed to create empathy, cooperation, and inspire teachers to integrate transboundary environmental programming into their curriculum. Each session is followed up by support and guidance on how to engage students with the environmental peacebuilding material. Workshops used to take place in Jordan, with all participants traveling there. However, due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, sessions are now held in Cyprus.

The teacher workshops and tours serve as a platform for both learning and dialogue. Regional-political complexities are not ignored; they are engaged, debated, and discussed. However, the program encourages participants to look beyond national and media narratives to instead focus on the common good. Helping educate the youth to provide a better environmental future. When teachers from Tel Aviv, Amman, and Ramallah examine the same stretch of polluted river, it creates a shared experience. The shared concern for the Jordan River, as well as other environmental issues, and, on a larger scale, the region, becomes the foundation for a deeper understanding.

EcoPeace’s work is not limited to the Jordan Valley. The organization is also active along the Alexander Stream and near the Dead Sea. Both areas, like the Jordan River, face enormous environmental stress. What all of these locations have in common is that all three participants within EcoPeace are affected. Both geographical ties and responsibility ties interconnect the Middle East. The typical mindset of “It is someone else’s problem” does not work. It takes teachers, the youth, and the region as a whole to come together to solve these problems because they are everyone’s.

EcoPeace’s strategy is dual, combining both bottom-up and top-down approaches. The bottom-up approach focuses on the aforementioned teacher workshops and trickles down education to the youth. The top-down approach focuses on EcoPeace’s efforts to collaborate with government officials and decision-makers, aiming to influence policy and regional environmental practices. 

The organization has been instrumental in advancing the “Green Blue Deal.” This is a project that entails Israel providing desalinated water to Jordan in exchange for energy. This is made possible due to Israel’s experience and expertise in desalination plants, along with Jordan’s expansive geographic area for solar and wind farms. Projects like this are designed to foster interdependence, where both countries rely on each other for mutual benefit. With interdependence comes cooperation, and with cooperation comes increased normalcy in relations.

Even amid rising tensions and conflicts, EcoPeace remains committed to its mission. In the aftermath of the October 7th attacks carried out by the terrorist organization known as Hamas, the organization maintained communication across all offices. Staff members checked in on colleagues from all sides, underscoring their commitment to preserving connection even during times of conflict.

See Related Article: The wind farms of the Middle East

The resilience of the educational programs is astounding. While many participants may enter tours with skepticism or strong preconceived notions, they often leave with new perspectives and a deeper appreciation. While political solutions remain improbable, educational ones are already in motion. 

See Related Article: The Blue Green Deal and climate pacts between enemies

EcoPeace aims to expand the teacher programs and increase its reach in the coming years. With more than 1,000 students already directly impacted by the initiative, the organization utilizes teachers as ambassadors for environmental peacemaking.

In a region where peace is scarce, EcoPeace offers a solution—one where educators plant the seeds of coexistence. 

To learn more about EcoPeace’s educational programs and environmental peacebuilding efforts, visit https://ecopeaceme.org.

The post How EcoPeace Uses Environmental Education to Bridge Borders in the Jordan Valley appeared first on Green Prophet.

In the volcanic highlands of northern Jordan, north of Amman engineers are mining a natural resource not for energy, but for agriculture. The material: crushed volcanic rock, now also processed into a mineral-rich soil that may hold the key to reducing water and fertilizer demand in arid regions.

The project is led by Watad, a Jordanian company founded in 2019. The firm processes volcanic rocks such as zeolite, basalt, and pozzolana into what it calls “volcanic soil”—a porous, salt-resistant substrate that improves water retention and plant growth in dry climates.

“There’s zeolite, like the one we have in the mine here. There is zeolitic tuff in one of the other mines we have. There are basalt and pozzolana,” said Ibrahim al-Manaseer, a mine engineer at the site near Mafraq in an interview with Reuters. “All of them are volcanic rocks that formed thousands of years ago.”

Watad currently produces around one million tons of volcanic soil annually, and its CEO, Mohannad al-Manaseer, says the company could scale up rapidly. al-Manaseer said the goal is to replace conventional fertilizers and soil additives with a more durable and environmentally stable alternative.

Early field reports suggest volcanic soil may reduce irrigation needs by up to 60% and cut fertilizer use by 80%. That could have significant implications for Jordan, which ranks as the second most water-scarce country in the world, with per capita water availability under 100 cubic meters per year, well below the UN’s threshold for extreme water stress.

When we visited Jordan we learned that hotels and homes get fresh water shipped to reservoirs weekly. Some people keep second hidden reservoirs to avoid running out.

Related: Jordan’s leading ecological organizations

While long-term studies are still needed to assess environmental and agronomic impacts across diverse ecosystems, the use of volcanic material in soil enhancement is not new. Zeolites, in particular, have been studied for decades due to their ion exchange and adsorption properties.

What’s novel is the scale—and the urgency. In a region where desertification, rising temperatures, and resource stress are converging, Jordan’s push to mine its volcanic past could represent a rare alignment of geology and necessity.

Jordan has been working with water cooperation with Israel and the Palestinian Authority over the last couple of decades through Friends of the Earth, Middle East – Ecopeace. They are working to broker small-scale local projects in education, but also are working on larger water for energy swaps. The October 7 terror attack changed the political outlook for Israel and Jordanian cooperation, two countries that have a signed peace treaty.

Time for water cooperation? 

The Wadi Araba Treaty established cooperation between Jordan and Israel on various matters, including water sharing. In November 2022, both Jordan and Israel signed a declaration of intent at the UN climate conference to rehabilitate and protect the Jordan River, aiming to reduce pollution and restore water flow.

A 2013 agreement involved developing a desalination plant in Aqaba, with potable water shared between Israel and Jordan, and increased water releases from Lake Tiberias to Jordan. But in November 2023, Jordan announced it would not sign a proposed water-for-energy deal with Israel, citing Israel’s actions in Gaza as the reason.

Jordan is currently advancing its own water security through the Aqaba–Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance Project, aiming to produce about 300 million cubic meters of clean drinking water annually. Jordan is landlocked except for a small strip of the Red Sea, where it is bordered by Israel and Saudi Arabia.

The Abraham Accords which is creating a peace treaty and regional cooperation between countries such as Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, will likely lead to water cooperation for a very dry Jordan.

::Wated

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The Environmental Peacebuilding Association gave its recent award –– the 2025 Al-Moumin Award and Distinguished Lecture on Environmental Peacebuilding –– to EcoPeace leaders Nada Majdalani, Yana Abu Taleb, Gidon Bromberg, and Tareq Abu Hamed. The award honors their work in addressing complex environmental challenges through trust-building, dialogue, cooperation, and joint action among communities in Palestine, Jordan, and Israel.

Read our latest article on EcoPeace here.

The Al-Moumin Award and Lecture are named after Dr. Mishkat Al-Moumin, Iraq’s first Minister of Environment, a human rights and environmental lawyer, and an advocate for women’s rights. The award recognizes leading thinkers who are shaping the field of environmental peacebuilding.

For decades, the honorees have made remarkable contributions to environmental peacebuilding through their visionary leadership and groundbreaking initiatives. They have demonstrated exceptional commitment to fostering regional cooperation on issues critical to the region in the face of environmental and political challenges, including water security, renewable energy production, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience.

At EcoPeace, Nada, Yana, and Gidon’s efforts have advanced environmental diplomacy; built bridges between communities in Palestine, Israel, and Jordan; and achieved sustainable cross-border solutions that ensure a better future for the inhabitants of all three countries.

This work, including the Good Water Neighbors program, the Green Blue Deal, Project Prosperity, and their advocacy for improved water and energy security across the region, are complemented by on-the-ground projects that bring these principles into practical local action. All are often rightly cited as prototypical examples of environmental peacebuilding.

EcoPeace’s continued operation during the Hamas-Israel war as the only Palestinian-Israeli-Jordanian organization in any field was thanks to the tireless efforts of the directors

who ensured that EcoPeace’s staff, participants, and constituents stayed focused on the overriding need to maintain cross-border environmental cooperation and a vision for a shared future. Throughout the war, EcoPeace has secured funding and mobilized resources to address urgent water and sanitation needs, with the three directors demonstrating their commitment to environmental resilience, cross-border cooperation, and humanitarian aid, ensuring that human life, health, and environmental wellbeing are seen as interlocked priorities in this region.

Similarly, Tareq has spent a lifetime working to build trust and foster cooperation between neighbors, using science to build relationships across the Middle East, particularly between Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians to ensure that they can work together to address mutual environmental concerns. He established Arava Institute’s Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation upon joining the Institute in 2008. He is a member of President Isaac Herzog’s Forum on Climate Change, and as part of this role, Tareq co-chairs the Regional Cooperation and Security Task Force, which promotes regional and international collaboration on climate change. He has also led the Transboundary Renewable Energy Working Group, bringing together experts from Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, and Jordan to work on socially impactful renewable technology projects.

While Tareq has been a leader in the Arava Institute’s growth over the past 17 years, he left briefly to join Israel’s Ministry of Science, becoming the deputy chief scientist, becoming the highest-ranking Palestinian working in the Israeli government, before being named acting Chief Scientist of Israel’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Space in 2015 and 2016.

The post EcoPeace gets peacebuilding award appeared first on Green Prophet.

I first heard about seed banks years ago when I joined a Rainbow Family Gathering in a desert in Israel. Before the month-long hippie camp and festival would begin, the experienced would start up a week before, trading seeds for their personal seed banks. Why were people making their own seed banks, I wondered?

Like gardeners who use regenerative and permaculture gardening as activism against pesticides and conventional agriculture (download the Victory Garden handbook here), seed savers are worried that the state of biodiversity in the world is at risk. For this reason they have started their own seed saving in areas local to them. You might have heard of heirloom varieties? These are seeds from plants found in the wild or growing among small-hold farmers and which have unique traits such as taste, drought tolerance, smell or beauty.

You can start your own seed bank in a freezer and roots cellar around the world. I have a friend who collects seeds for cannabis plants, another for unique tomatoes. If these varieties aren’t stored, we might lose them forever much in the way we are losing large mammals. You can’t keep animals dormant forever, but seeds, as we learned in Israel and the 2000-year-old date seeds that grew, you can keep seeds dormant for times when the might be needed.

Seed saving has become increasingly important in the Middle East as a means of preserving biodiversity and ensuring food security in times of climate change and severe water shortages. It’s a global issue. 

Seed banks in Syria

Syria has a long history of agriculture, with the Euphrates River Valley serving as the cradle of civilization (see Kish in Bagdadh) and the birthplace of wheat. Ongoing conflicts in Syria between their government and rebel forces and tribes, has had a devastating impact on the country’s agricultural sector, with many farmers forced to abandon their land and crops. Some say that conflict led to this problem but back in 2007 when we started Green Prophet we could see how water shortages and drought actually created the conflict. In 2010 for instance we reported on murders in Iraq, over water. 

So seed saving in Syria is more important than ever. Seeds of important include local wheat, barley, lentils, chickpeas, and sesame seeds. The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) has been working to preserve the genetic diversity of crops in Syria through its gene bank, which is located in the city of Aleppo. But at the height of Syria’s civil war researchers believed the seed vault in Aleppo was at risk and they went on an emergency mission to ship them out of Syria with the saga described in this Nature paper. The center has collected and conserved over 155,000 samples of crop seeds from across the region, including varieties of wheat, barley, lentils, and chickpeas. These seeds are stored in a state-of-the-art facility that is designed to withstand natural disasters, wars, and other threats.

The researchers forced to leave the Syrian seedbank wrote: 

“The situation in Syria illustrates well the inextricable but complex links between climate change, food security and sociopolitical stability in fragile states. A series of droughts during 2006 to 2009 linked to climate change probably played a role in the uprising in Syria in 2011. It is clear that climate change-induced droughts alone do not account for the Syrian tragedy, but rather was one ingredient in a concoction of social, economic and political factors which together triggered the events that escalated into civil war. 

About the seeds at risk in Syria: “they represent some of the most precious biodiversity to humanity on the planet. Genebanks such as ICARDAs are so-called ex situ (outside their natural habitats) conservation facilities for crop diversity, or to use the technical term, Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA)— seeds, plants and plant parts useful in crop breeding, research or conservation for their genetic attributes. This biodiversity has shaped human societies and cultures for millennia, enabling the growth of sophisticated cities and feeding the expansion of empires. The ICARDA genebank is particularly important in this regard as it harbours the largest collection of crop diversity from the earliest centre of origin of agriculture, the Fertile Crescent.”

Seed banks in Israel

Israel is home to one of the most advanced seed banks in the Middle East. The country’s national seed bank, the Israel Plant Genebank which is located at the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO) in Beit Dagan (also known as the Volcani Center), was established in 1921 and has since become one of the world’s leading centers for plant genetic resources conservation. The center engages in traditional crop breeding as well as high-tech gene research.

The Israel Gene Bank and ARO collections include 30,000 samples from approximately 2070 different species. Around 15,000 of these samples were collected in Israel, primarily from wild populations.

The seed banks also hold cultivars and commercial varieties from 152 countries on missions when Israeli scientists look for seeds that can adapt to commercial cultivation in Israel. This kind of research started in Israel in the 1800s at Mikve Israel, a Jewish settlement and agricultural school between Jaffa and Jerusalem. The village is now home to Tel Aviv’s Waldorf School, Hinuch Aviv.

The Arava Institute in the desert also holds a seed bank.

Seed bank in Lebanon

Lebanon is home to the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI), which is responsible for conserving and preserving the genetic resources of crops in the country. The institute has collected and conserved thousands of samples of crop seeds from across Lebanon, including varieties of wheat, barley, lentils, and chickpeas. A quick look and the website is not working, a sign of the lack of functioning in the Lebanese government experiencing major power outages daily. 

But ICARDA, which opened the seed bank in Syria is headquartered in Lebanon. ICARDA’s work in Lebanon is made possible through the support of Lebanon’s LARI, the FAO, UNDP, GCDT, European Commission and in collaboration with the Lebanese University, and the American University of Beirut. 

ICARDA today runs four main research stations in the Central Bekaa Valley: Tel Amara, Haush-Sneid, Kfardan and Terbol. Together these centers reflect the three different agro-climatic zones in Lebanon: Mediterranean, coastal and semi-arid climates. Scientists there run trials of winter crops, spring chickpea, and summer crops at the centers.

Terbol, the biggest of the four research stations, is an excellent site for disease screening mainly for durum wheat, bread wheat, and food legumes. Tests contributing to the development of improved production systems for barley, lentil, grasspea and faba beans.

Seed banks in Turkey

Turkey is home to several seed banks, including the Turkish Seed Gene Bank (TSGB), established in 2010 as a unit of Central Research Institute for Field Crops. Turkey is also home to the Aegean Agricultural Research Institute (AARI), which is responsible for conserving and preserving the genetic resources of crops in the Aegean region. Like all the websites in the Middle East, information is outdated and lacking so contact specific researchers for the most current research in the field.

Back in 2020 Turkey raided a British Institute in Ankara and seized a seed collection collected by a British researcher in 1969. The Turks said they don’t want their seeds plundered. There is an important debate on ownership of seed diversity. Should it belong to one culture, nationality or time? Or do these seeds belong to all humanity? Questions worth asking.

Many of the seed varieties that are stored in the Levant area seed banks are at risk of extinction due to a range of factors, including climate change, urbanization, and conflicts which seem to be never-ending. If archeologists and researchers from the past didn’t save them, would they have been saved?

For example, many varieties of emmer wheat that have been grown in the Middle East for thousands of years are at risk of disappearing due to the increasing use of high-yield modern varieties that are more resistant to pests and diseases. Should they be held for safe-guarding by other nations? Or should they stay in the Middle East?

There are local heroes starting to grow local and heirloom varieties. You will find them when you start looking. Now is the time to start the debate and actions towards saving our seeds. 

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