UN Sustainable Development Goals, SDG2 “Zero Hunger” Workshop in Bernal at the University of Limerick
On 18 and19th September, Professor Gavin Walker from the Bernal Institute hosted a SFI and Irish Aid funded International Workshop at The Bernal Institute. The event focused on SDG2 “Zero Hunger”, entitled “Enhancing Crop Production with Brackish Water Irrigation in the Jordan Valley”, and it was attended by Universities from Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan. The overarching purpose of SFI’s SDG Challenge is to develop transformative, sustainable solutions that will contribute to addressing development challenges, under the UN SDGs in Irish Aid’s partner countries. SFI and Irish Aid are seeking solutions that contribute to SDG2: Zero Hunger, “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”.
The Jordan Valley, stretching from Jeftlik through Auja to Jericho, north of the Dead Sea, is characterized by its abundant brackish water resources, estimated at 15 million cubic meters per year. This project aims to increase the production of high-value, nutrition-rich crops by adapting specific crop varieties to these brackish water conditions. This initiative will leverage the valley’s unique environmental factors, including its high solar radiation and distinctive salinity levels, to introduce a sustainable and innovative agricultural practice. The Workshop developed a research programme that is visionary and will transform the limiting factor—salinity—into an advantage, providing a blueprint for similar arid regions worldwide, thus contributing to local and global food security and sustainable agricultural practices.
Professor Gavin Walker, Bernal Chair in Process Engineering said, “This exciting, multi-disciplinary workshop was supported jointly between SFI and Irish Aid, focused on SDG2 “Zero Hunger” and developed a programme to enhance food security in an increasingly vulnerable area of the Middle East. This employed expertise from the University of Limerick and from our new international collaborating institutions in the region”.
Professor Saed Khayyat (Director of International Grants and Projects) and Prof Munqez Shtaya (Director of the Scientific Centres) at An-Najah National University, Palestine added “Our initiative, supported by SFI Future Innovator Prize programme has now established a global blueprint for sustainable agriculture and food security in semi-arid regions, spear-headed by An-Najah National University and the University of Limerick”.