Pricope brings expertise to global forum on land health, resilience
Narcissa Pricope
Farmers in Mississippi and across the globe face critical challenges in land degradation and drought resilience, and Mississippi State University’s Narcissa Pricope will join other experts in land systems science in Saudi Arabia for discussions on solutions to these issues.
On Dec. 2-13, the MSU 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 UNCCD’s 197 Parties—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 “Our Land, Our Future” 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.
Pricope’s involvement amplifies the university’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 the 30th anniversary of UNCCD, 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 to restore land and boost drought resilience for the benefit of people and the planet.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.
Kathryn Rodenmeyer | Office of Research and Economic Development
