Chairman Message

Welcome to Conference

It is my honor and privilege to welcome all colleagues, researchers, academics, and professionals interested in agriculture, food systems, and resilience studies to the First International Scientific Conference on Rehabilitation of Agriculture and Food Systems, organized by the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine at Al-Azhar University-Gaza.

This conference comes at a critical and urgent time for Gaza. The recent escalations have caused severe damage across society, with systematic destruction of our agricultural and food systems threatening not only livelihoods but also the foundation of our higher education and research capacity. In this context, our conference is a message of resilience and resistance: despite attempts to erase Palestinian academic institutions and knowledge production, we remain steadfast in our commitment to urgently generate the knowledge needed to understand, document, and rebuild our food system.

Our goal is to provide a scientific platform for Palestinian and international researchers to examine the systematic destruction of Gaza's food system, to highlight the resilience modalities shown by communities during the crisis, and to reflect on the vision of Palestinians for rebuilding a sustainable, locally grounded, and resilient food system.

We invite researchers from across the world to participate in this effort of solidarity and collaboration, supporting our academic institutions and contributing to knowledge that is essential, timely, and urgently needed. Through your engagement, we aim to strengthen the production of evidence-based research, foster international partnerships, and highlight the determination of Palestinian academic and scientific communities to persevere and thrive even under the most challenging conditions.

I express my gratitude to all colleagues, faculty members, and partners whose contributions are making this conference possible. I am confident that it will serve as a dynamic forum for research exchange, discussion, and collaborative solutions, reflecting the resilience and vision of Palestinian agriculture and food systems in Gaza.

With warm regards and appreciation,

Dr. Ahmed Abu Shaban

Chairman, First International Scientific Conference on Rehabilitation of Agriculture and Food Systems

Dean, Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine