Mahmoud Solh
Director General, International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA)
Dr. Mahmoud Solh, Director General of ICARDA, has been associated with international agricultural research and development in the dry areas since 1972 when he joined the Arid Land Agricultural Development (ALAD) Program of the Ford Foundation in the Near East, ICARDA’s predecessor. He was Director of Plant Production and Protection Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations from 2002 to 2006. Prior to that, he served ICARDA with distinction for nearly 16 years and from 1980 to 1986 was an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences of the American University of Beirut. His career has focused on contributing to food and water security, alleviating poverty and malnutrition, and sustainable agricultural development; planning, implementation, and evaluation programs for agricultural research for development; human resources and institutional development of national agricultural systems; and promoting north-south and south-south cooperation. He has authored more than 120 publications/papers and articles including books and chapters of books.