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Ļć½¶Ö±²„research leader brings expertise to global forum on land health, resilience

°ä“Ē²Ō³Ł²¹³¦³Ł:ĢżKathryn Rodenmeyer

STARKVILLE, Miss.ā€”Farmers in Mississippi and across the globe face critical challenges in land degradation and drought resilience, and Ļć½¶Ö±²„ā€™s Narcissa Pricope will join other experts in land systems science in Saudi Arabia next week for discussions on solutions to these issues.

On Dec. 2-13, the Ļć½¶Ö±²„associate vice president for research and economic development will participate in the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification Conference of the Parties, or COP16. The COP is the main decision-making body of UNCCDā€™s 197 Partiesā€”196 countries and the European Union.

Pricope serves on the UNCCD Science-Policy Interface Committee as a regional representative and is a coordinating lead author on the upcoming report on adaptation to global aridification. During the UNCCD COP ā€œOur Land, Our Futureā€ event, she will participate in high-level science policy leadership talks with heads of state and environmental resilience decision makers, while also coordinating a series of events during the inaugural global Science, Technology and Innovation Day. These discussions will focus on bridging science and policy to promote sustainable land management and resilience strategies.

Pricopeā€™s involvement amplifies the universityā€™s role in promoting science at the policy interface to foster research-driven solutions that enhance environmental resilience, agricultural productivity and land sustainability, benefiting both local and global communities and stakeholders.

Coinciding with theĀ , COP16 will be the largest U.N. land conference to date, and the first UNCCD COP held in the Middle East and North Africa region, which knows first-hand the impacts of desertification, land degradation and drought.

According to the UNCCD website, COP16 is poised to be a game-changer, marking a renewed global commitment to accelerate investment and action toĀ Ā and boostĀ Ā for the benefit of people and the planet. .

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