Dr. Abu Bakr Al-Mabrouk Al-Mansouri is a Libya

Libya

Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....

n politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 who served as Secretary

Secretary

A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...

 of the General People's Committee (GPCO) of the Secretariat for Agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

, Animal Wealth and Marine Resources. Some of his responsibilities include addressing matters relating to food security

Food security

Food security refers to the availability of food and one's access to it. A household is considered food-secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear of starvation. According to the World Resources Institute, global per capita food production has been increasing substantially for the past...

, agricultural development and managing the Great Manmade River

Great Manmade River

The Great Man-Made River is a network of pipes that supplies water from the Sahara Desert in Libya, from the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System fossil aquifer. It is the world's largest irrigation project....

 project.

Activities

On 25 March 2007, the Libyan Ministry of Agriculture hosted a two-day workshop organized by the Arab Maghreb Union

Arab Maghreb Union

The Arab Maghreb Union is a trade agreement aiming for economic and some sort of future political unity in North Africa between the countries Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania...

 where experts from Maghreb countries meet to discuss economic benefits of combating desertification

Desertification

Desertification is the degradation of land in drylands. Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems.-Definitions:...

 and studied methods to revive interest and promote investment in the region. Experts from Tunisia

Tunisia

Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...

, Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

, Algeria

Algeria

Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...

, Mauritania

Mauritania

Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...

, and Libya presented related research, exchanged experiences and various strategies.

During his opening address, Dr. al-Mansouri said severe weather conditions of desert areas and the shortage of resources has a direct effect on the agriculture development programs in the region and it is a threat to the Maghreb countries’ food production. He added that, "unsuitable agricultural practices and the misuse of land and irrigation

Irrigation

Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...

 water have contributed to the increase of desertification."

Working Relationships

Al-Mansouri works closely with Engineer Adnan Gebril, who is Director of Agricultural development at the GPCO for Agriculture. Other associates include Technofarm International

Technofarm International

Technofarm International is a consortium of European and Egyptian agricultural companies that have joined forces to develop and manage farms in Libya...

, an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

agricultural company working in Libya.