SOMA Newsletter

Welcome to the SOMA MATER weekly newsletter.

At SOMA MATER, we specialize in delivering comprehensive research and advisory services with a focus on Food & Water Security and Net Zero Transition in the MENA Region. In order to support our subscribing clients in navigating these topics and understanding the regional narrative, we produce monthly Food and Water Security and Net Zero Transition Intelligence Reports, along with our in-depth analysis and insights.

This weekly newsletter highlights the top 3 stories from the past week in Food and Water Security and Net Zero transition, along with SOMA MATER's analysis and perspective.

What is Sheikh Dr. Majid Al Qassimi’s take on how water scarcity and agricultural inefficiency threaten food security and economic stability in the MENA region?

What major investments has Oman made towards strengthening its food security and reducing import dependency?

How is "continental drying" threatening global freshwater supplies, and what solutions are proposed to address this crisis?

Sustainably yours,

The SOMA team

CEO Letter from Sheikh Dr. Majid: Betting on the Water Cycle

As we transition into the cooler months of the year in the MENA region, and see the first harvest of the early agriculture season start, I can’t help but think of the contrast between the beautiful weather outside and the extreme challenges we are experiencing in the region.

Currently, North Africa is warming at the continent's fastest rate (0.4°C per decade). Agriculture consumes over 80% of fresh water yet remains inefficient, with flood irrigation wasting half the water applied and accelerating soil salinization. Modern drip or center-pivot systems offer promising solutions, but remain unaffordable to small-scale farmers earning less than $3 daily. Farmers tend to irrigate excessively to ensure maximum yield, resulting in low water use efficiency and economic returns. All this and droughts in much of the region build a downward spiral for small-holder agriculture.

Droughts slash crop yields. This then pushes countries to drain foreign reserves through food imports, to make up the short fall of local production yields. Countries divert funds to subsidize grain purchases. A strong example of this impact is Egypt's 12 million tonnes of annual wheat imports, exposing it to global price shocks—each $1 increase costing Cairo $400 million of foreign reserve. Many countries in the MENA exist in this situation due to either faltering agriculture production yield or a lack of production capabilities due to environment and water conditions.

For countries with access to desalination their may be a scalable lifeline to fresh water. Egypt is planning to produce 8 million cubic meters daily by 2030 at $3.5 billion, to save about $400 per hectare annually in import costs. In light of the tension due to the Grand Ethiopian Dam, it feels like it could not come sooner. Yet the human cost to the water challenge is stark. 55% of Egyptian rural youth now wish to leave farming due to unreliable incomes and water shortages. While the $20-25 billion regional adaptation costs over the next decade pale against the projected $70 billion in annual losses from inaction, we need more options.

I am constantly looking at what we might do to tap into rainwater harvesting as a source. In my work across biodiversity conservation, agriculture and larger biological systems work it is clear to me we have disrupted some large cycles of which the most precious is the Water Cycle. Work today across the world has shown at different scales to be effective in both managing large flood type down pours and dry arid ecosystems. We borrow too much of the practice of agriculture, and landscaping and make it dogma. SOMA MATER has started to allow us to solve these large system challenges with knowledge and context of our region. We continue to do so one project at a time, and look forward to sharing some of that with you in this newsletter in the future.

Look out into nature,

Majid Al Qassimi

Sources:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2022.107498

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43621-025-01370-y

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2621121

Fishing for the Future: Oman Reeling in Self-Sufficiency

#FoodandWaterSecurity

Oman earmarked $97 million to boost domestic agricultural production and reduce dependency on imports. Announced at the conclusion of the Food Security Lab (organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources), this investment forms part of Oman Vision 2040's broader ambitions to build sustainable food and water systems. The Lab has identified 62 new investment opportunities spanning plant production, fisheries, livestock, and water resources, with 27 investment projects and 31 enabling initiatives now rolling out.

This builds on Oman's existing Food Security Investment Program, which has channeled $954 million into plant production, $809 million into livestock, $1.64 billion into fisheries, and $958 million into water resources. Fisheries not only receive the largest share of new funding ($81.4 million across 4 projects), but reflect deep cultural roots dating back generations, when 80% of Omanis lived from agriculture and fishing before the oil era.

The government has launched the "Localising the Second Billion" initiative to strengthen food manufacturing and export competitiveness, while new financing schemes are being introduced to foster collaboration between banks and agribusinesses. In partnership with Nama Water Services, Omani SMEs are being trained in advanced irrigation and pipe installation systems. As of October 2025, Oman achieved 65.8% food self-sufficiency in 2024, with particularly strong performance in fish (144.5%) and animal products (87.3%).

Sources:

https://millingmea.com/oman-unveils-us97m-to-strengthen-national-food-security/

https://omannews.gov.om/topics/en/79/show/124789/ona#:~:text=Furthermore%2C a digital economy pillar,efficiency of the food sector.

https://www.zawya.com/en/economy/gcc/oman-achieves-658-food-self-sufficiency-in-2024-lu8nolpr

https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/gcc/publication/sustainable-management-of-the-fisheries-sector-in-oman-a-vision-for-shared-prosperity#:~:text=Fishery and aquaculture are among,WB)%2C%20and%20fishery%20stakeholders.

https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/reports/oman/2023-report/agriculture-fisheries/continued-growth-investment-and-new-technologies-are-helping-agricultural-and-fishing-enterprises-become-more-self-sufficient-overview/#:~:text=FDO was formed in January,on-line in November 2023.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352409X24000725

The Great Drying: Losing Water Faster Than a Leaky Faucet

#FoodandWaterSecurity

A new World Bank report warns that we are experiencing "continental drying" on an unprecedented scale. Global freshwater reserves have been declining at a rate of 324 billion cubic meters annually over the past two decades (enough to sustain 280 million people each year). Dry regions are expanding faster than wet regions are wetting, and the crisis hits hardest in arid regions, where annual freshwater losses reach 10% of renewable supply. Poor governance worsens this—nations with weak water management lose freshwater reserves 2-3 times faster than those with stronger frameworks.

The report states that water scarcity disproportionately harms women, older individuals, landless farmers, and low-skilled workers, while global trade networks transmit these shocks worldwide. For instance, a 100mm drop in Indian rainfall could slash global real income by $68 billion. Meanwhile, water demand keeps climbing: global water consumption surged 25% between 2000 and 2019, with one-third of that increase concentrated in regions already drying out. Inefficiency compounds the problem—roughly one-quarter of rain-fed and one-third of irrigated crop water use in drying regions operates at low efficiency.

A three-pillar response is proposed: manage demand through water-efficient technologies like drip irrigation and enforced extraction limits; augment supply via water recycling, desalination, and expanded natural storage like groundwater recharge; and improve allocation by defining clear water rights and optimizing transboundary cooperation. Beyond the water sector itself, the report emphasizes that resilience requires tackling trade barriers, investing in education, and improving market access to protect livelihoods.

Sources:

https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/continental-drying-a-threat-to-our-common-future?intcid=ecr_hp_sidekick2_en_ext