On behalf of His Excellency the Minister of Environment, Dr. Muawiyah Al-Radaideh, Eng. Fawzi Al-Akkour, Director of the Irbid Governorate Environment Directorate, sponsored the first environmental conference held in the city of Ramtha, organized by the Rawabi Houran Association for Environment and Sustainable Development, in cooperation with the Deanship of Student Affairs at Irbid National University, with the aim of serving youth and the local community, in the presence of His Excellency Senator Dr. Akef Al-Zoubi, and with the participation of Prof. Dr. Majed Abu Zureiq, President of Irbid National University, and a group of academics, researchers and those interested in agricultural affairs..

The Director of the Environmental Protection Directorate in Irbid Governorate, Eng. Fawzi Al-Akkour, the delegate of the conference sponsor, said that the Ministry of Environment seeks to strengthen the necessary foundations to protect lands and natural resources for future generations, raise awareness, and achieve sustainable development. He added that the Ministry is working to enhance scientific research in the field of combating desertification, preventing the deterioration of agricultural lands, and developing a comprehensive national plan that takes into account the specificity of the environment, in addition to enhancing regional and international cooperation to benefit from modern expertise and technologies, based on the Ministry’s message and its awareness of the seriousness of the repercussions resulting from climate change and environmental imbalances..

He pointed out that the Ministry launched an initiative to plant 10 million trees over ten years in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, government agencies, the private sector and civil society institutions, as part of the Roots Project, which is one of the royal initiatives, where approximately 980,000 forest trees and 50,000 fruit trees were planted..

Prof. Dr. Majed Abu Zreik, the university president and conference sponsor, presented a working paper entitled: “Methods of preserving soil to increase food production”, in which he stressed that soil is considered one of the most important natural resources that contribute to achieving food security. He discussed a set of strategies necessary to preserve soil quality, such as sustainable agriculture techniques, the use of organic fertilizers, and the application of modern irrigation systems. He also stressed the importance of raising awareness of the importance of soil and the need to protect it from erosion and pollution, as healthy soil enhances crop productivity and improves food quality. He called on those concerned in the agricultural sector to cooperate to achieve the desired goals, and he explained, with figures and statistics, a number of projects that have been implemented and studied in order to preserve soil and its productivity. He explained the most important reasons leading to the deterioration of the agricultural situation, including political and natural conditions and population movement..

The conference program included an opening session, which began with the national anthem and verses from the Holy Quran, and a welcoming speech by the association’s president, Eng. Khaled Al-Bishabsheh, during which he stressed the importance of community awareness of environmental issues, the outcomes of which are reflected on the country, and a speech on the role of youth in land rehabilitation presented by Dr. Khaled Musa Al-Zoubi/ Irbid National University - Faculty of Administrative and Financial Sciences - Assistant Dean of Student Affairs.

The symposium sessions concluded with several recommendations related to adopting national policies aimed at preserving soil and improving agricultural techniques, which would contribute to enhancing food production in the Kingdom.