FAO and Egypt’s NARSS explore collaboration to advance climate resilience and sustainable natural resources management

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa visited Egypt’s National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS) to explore opportunities for enhanced technical and institutional collaboration.

FAO was represented by Dr Abd Salam Villaly, Climate Change Officer, and Dr Heba Al-Hariry, Land and Water Officer. The visit provided an opportunity to exchange expertise and examine how Earth observation, remote sensing and geospatial technologies could strengthen evidence-based decision-making and climate-resilient natural resources management.

Discussions focused on potential collaboration in landscape restoration and sustainable land management, including land-cover and land-use change monitoring; climate risk monitoring and early warning for drought, land degradation, and sand and dust storms; the sustainable management of oasis ecosystems, farming systems and rangelands; and access to high-resolution Earth observation data and geospatial technologies for environmental monitoring, climate risk analysis and decision support.

The meeting also highlighted opportunities to connect scientific research and technological innovation with practical applications that respond to country priorities.

By combining NARSS’s technical expertise with FAO’s national and regional engagement, the collaboration could support stronger monitoring approaches, knowledge exchange and informed decision-making across the Near East and North Africa.

The visit marked a promising step towards translating geospatial innovation into practical solutions for climate adaptation, landscape resilience and sustainable natural resources management.