Agriculture and farming

A couple hold their son's hands as they herd sheep near the village of Amellagou where Morocco's last nomads reside, on Sept. 2, 2022.

Morocco's economic growth slows as drought, locusts deplete farmland

The North African country is grappling with a sixth year of drought, the longest in Morocco’s modern history.

Voladymyr Zelenskyy meets with President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, on Feb. 17, 2025.

Analysis

Amid US rift and Saudi rivalry, UAE offers Zelenskyy economic lifeline

Gulf countries find themselves in a difficult position as they navigate placating Trump, maintaining good relations with Russia, and engaging with Ukraine while also providing mediation and humanitarian aid.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

An employee checks eggs at Aytekin chicken farm on on May 06, 2022 in Bandirma, Turkey.

How Turkey's egg tax complicates US soaring prices amid bird flu crisis

The US Department of Agriculture said Wednesday it will have to import between 70 and 100 million eggs in the next month or two as the outbreak derails the country’s domestic egg production.

Turkey fire

Wildfires in Turkey: 11 dead, 78 injured as heat soars to 50 degrees Celsius

Turkey has been grappling with wildfires across the country since last week due to hot temperatures soaring up to 50 C (122 F) above the seasonal average.

Latest News

How climate change could make Egypt's coffee cultivation a reality

A general view shows coffee beans as an Egyptian man makes coffee for German tourists at traditional cafe on the banks of the Nile River in Aswan, some 900 kilometers south of Cairo on March 13, 2016.

Algeria signs $3.5B deal with Qatari firm to develop world's largest dairy farm

Dairy cows recline in a barn at the Havelland Ribbeck farm on March 22, 2024 near Nauen, Germany.

Growing demand for Lebanon's avocados offers promising prospects for farmers

Thurayya, 28, inspects her avocado trees in a village south of Beirut, on November 22, 2021.

Explainer: What is behind the Arizona-Saudi groundwater controversy?

alfalfa

A model of the Tempest fighter jet, which is hoped to be manufactured by 2035.

Analysis

Why is Japan opposed to Saudi Arabia joining UK-Italy GCAP fighter jet alliance?

Japan is concerned about future problems with Saudi Arabia as one of four decision-makers on the Global Combat Air Program's board with veto power, according to experts.

By Salim A. Essaid

Fisherman work on a fish farm off the coast of Moroccan city of M'diq, on October 3, 2019. - With fish stocks declining in the Mediterranean, struggling Moroccan fisherman are hoping to turn to aquaculture as a way to secure their future. Figures from Morocco's department of maritime fishing confirm the decline. Catches in the eastern Oriental region dropped from 14.7 tonnes to 7.4 between 2013 and 2017. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP) (Photo by FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Expiration of Morocco-EU fisheries deal has implications beyond Western Sahara

Olivia Hooper

By Olivia Hooper

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 10: A Chipotle store signage is seen on August 10, 2022 in New York City. NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced on Tuesday that Chipotle Mexican Grill announced that they will be paying $20 million dollars to current and former workers in their NYC restaurants for violating city labor laws. The settlement will cover about 13,000 employees who worked at the chain's NYC stores between 2017 and this year. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Popular Mexican food chain Chipotle coming to UAE, Kuwait

The fast-food giant that specializes in Mexican food is one of the biggest in the United States.

This photo taken on July 10, 2012, in Ankara shows people at a traditional "doner" fast food restaurant. In Turkey 35% of the population has accumulated excess body fat to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. The Turkish health ministry has launched a campaign calling on Turks to be more active. AFP PHOTO/ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/GettyImages)

Bahrain, Turkey are Middle East's biggest eaters: Oxford rankings

Bahrain and Turkey are listed among the top eaters globally, while daily calorie consumption in war-ridden Yemen stands behind the recommended level.

This picture taken on April 18, 2023 shows the Green Hydrogen Plant built by Spanish company Iberdrola in Puertollano.

Analysis

Morocco's agricultural independence to get boost from green ammonia plant

The project by the state-owned company in Tarfaya will help the North African country meet the domestic demand for the compound, which is a crucial ingredient in nitrate fertilizers.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Wheat in Morocco

Drought threatens Morocco's bread basket economy: World Bank

Last year, the Maghreb experienced one of its worst droughts in decade, causing a 60% decline in Moroccan cereal production.

This picture taken on March 28, 2023 shows a vendor selling dates in the area of Multaqa in Sudan's Northern State, during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. - Muslims follow the tradition set by the prophet Mohammed whom believers say used to break his fast by eating dates and drinking goat's milk during the fasting month. The dawn-to-dusk fast is conceived as a spiritual struggle against the seduction of earthly pleasures, but the evening iftar festive meals traditionally bring families together du

Analysis

Conflict in Sudan, GCC's food basket, rattles Gulf investments

In addition to its natural resources and agricultural output, Sudan's geographic location also makes it critical to Gulf security.

By Salim A. Essaid

Dubai skyline

UAE's advanced logistics industry makes it well placed to export to Africa

The CEO of the UAE Trade Center said that the Emirates was a good trading partner for countries like Kenya and Ghana.

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attend the Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit (SCIS) of the UNFCCC COP27 climate conference on November 07, 2022 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain sign 12 industrial agreements worth $2 billion

The third Higher Committee Meeting of the Industrial Partnership for Sustainable Economic Development wrapped up in Amman with 12 new agreements on industrial projects.

Sheep walk amid drought and low water levels in the Euphrates River in the western countryside of Tabqa, Raqqa governorate, Syria, Nov. 22, 2022.

Double blow: Syria braces for historic drought after earthquake

For the third consecutive year, delayed rains have left the land scorched and farmers reeling from the impact of a historic drought.

ERIC PIERMONT/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia announces vertical farming venture with US AeroFarms

Vertical farming is on the rise in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Delegates gather at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Center in Egypt.

Egypt, Israel seek to boost trade exchange following COP27

Israel offered Egypt to develop rice cultivation using the latest technologies and curb the water shortage crisis in Cairo, within the framework of the two countries’ efforts to increase trade exchange.