This newsletter is the a part of “Policy Pathways for Food and Water Security in the MENA Region”
The Center East and North Africa (MENA) area faces issues of water shortage, restricted arable land, and soil degradation which is exacerbated by way of weather alternate, threatening water and meals safety. Because the area reports fast inhabitants expansion,[1] states should take care of expanding call for for water, calories, and meals (WEF),[2] which might be all inextricably connected. To conform, the area is striving to strengthen climate-smart agricultural practices,[3] scale back waste, and building up resilience.
This newsletter argues that the usage of nuclear science and applied sciences can be offering viable and sustainable pathways for mitigating those demanding situations. It maps previous and potential functions of those applied sciences for meals and water safety in MENA, whilst comparing each feasibility and limitations to implementation and scaling.
The next paragraphs define the prospective functions of nuclear science on quite a lot of building domain names within the MENA area.
Strengthening Local weather-Good Agriculture
The MENA area faces the problem of land degradation from soil erosion in addition to worsening soil high quality because of sea stage rise-driven salinisation,[4] expanding temperatures, and use of recycled wastewater,[5] negatively affecting crop yields. Nuclear methods lend a hand assess and mitigate soil erosion.[6] Leveraging neutron probing sensors can lend a hand measure soil moisture ranges to resolve optimum irrigation utility for soil remediation and crop expansion.a,[7] This turns out to be useful for saline soil stipulations in MENA, the place typical moisture sensing apparatus is inadequate. For instance, isotopic methods have supported the cultivation of excessive manufacturing volumes of millet in Lebanon, barley and safflower in Jordan, and quinoa within the United Arab Emirates, materialising thru a technical Meals and Agriculture Group- Global Atomic Power Company (FAO-IAEA) cooperation programme.[8]
Enabling Secure Meals Garage
Bettering meals garage capacities around the price chain is the most important for mitigating meals loss and waste within the MENA area. Meals irradiation methods[9] are delicate and non-invasive practices that get rid of microbes by way of exposing meals to radiations like gamma or X-rays, whilst conserving dietary price and high quality.[10] Opposite to misconceptions, irradiation methods don’t flip meals radioactive. Meals irradiation yields fitness and meals protection benefits, getting rid of microbial contamination and decreasing food-borne illness possibility, and is thought of as more practical in comparison to warmth and chemical strategies.[11] Additionally, it dietary supplements different shelf-life extension strategies.
Meals irradiation adoption in MENA is recently in early-stages,[12] with Egypt main in functions for meat preservation and phytosanitary compliance. Call for for shelf-stable meals and vegetable imports within the UAE and Saudi Arabia has contributed to funding in new irradiation infrastructure amenities since 2022. Irradiation answers are extra standard in North The us and Europe, that have advanced prison frameworks to reiterate its protection. A 2025 learn about by way of Maataoui et al. evaluating world acceptance of irradiated meals discovered that MENA nations are extra wary concerning the viability of irradiated meals, demonstrating the desire for public news campaigns to extend public acceptance and implementation feasibility in MENA.[13] Expanding meals shelf-life can be precious for meals safety concerns in far off MENA places in addition to in warfare zones that want humanitarian provides.[14]
Bettering Water Get admission to and Potency
Whilst the worth proposition of nuclear applied sciences to meals manufacturing is defined by way of its distinctive clinical skill to extend crop yields and meals shelf-life, it will be significant to spotlight the underlying good judgment of utilizing nuclear calories consistent with se for water desalination, for example, in a area recognized for its oil and gasoline wealth.
Typical desalination is determined by non-renewables like oil and gasoline which produce vital emissions, regardless of being dependable. Despite the fact that many nations within the area have really extensive hydrocarbon sources, no longer all of MENA can depend on such fossil gasoline abundance. Many nations within the area have suffered fiscal traces due in no small phase to somewhat huge calories import expenses. As an example, the releasing up of oil and gasoline sources in puts like Egypt, the place it’s getting used for water desalination, would make fiscal sense given excessive import expenses for those hydrocarbons.
However, the energy-exporting MENA nations should take care of the chance charge of the intake of each barrel of oil regionally—which means one forex-earning barrel of oil much less at the global marketplace. This has cost-implications for lots of of those nations operating against financial diversification and funding in their hydrocarbon income into new sectors akin to AI or production.
Additional, there are sluggish adjustments within the earnings buffers from MENA’s fossil fuels exports. This downward power on earnings streams may just moderately be mitigated to a point by way of integrating nuclear calories into the calories portfolio anywhere possible, after duly taking into consideration each fees and dangers related to the sort. Research which serious about Tunisia and Algeria when put next the usage of oil and gasoline with nuclear for electrical energy era and water manufacturing, and feature successfully demonstrated really extensive financial savings from the latter.[15]
Nuclear calories, with its upper calories density, provides the most efficient baseload choice to hydrocarbons.[16] Nuclear-powered desalination leverages reactor-generated warmth and electrical energy to separate salt from seawater, offering a three-fold good thing about diminished emissions, a secure water supply, and low-costs. The combination of nuclear era into the MENA’s water safety portfolios has been led by way of the Global Atomic Power Company’s (IAEA) sharing of toolkits just like the Desalination Financial Analysis Program (DEEP) and the Desalination Thermodynamic Optimisation Program (De-TOP).[17] Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Tunisia have all invested below those pointers in desalination and isotopetracing. b,[18]
SMR-Powered desalination is into consideration in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Kuwait,[19] whilst the IAEA has evaluated research on utilizing SMRs to transform Pink Sea water into consuming water in Jordan. In nations just like the UAE which has established a nuclear plant and the place desalination is predominantly fuelled by way of herbal gasoline, coupling desalination plant life with long term nuclear SMRs is projected to yield possible[20] and cost-competitive results.[21] Long term nuclear and desalination plant life may also be blended to supply water as the one end result or yield each electrical energy and natural water thru a co-generation device.[22] This mixture, together with methods akin to Opposite-Osmosis, Multi-Level Flash distillation and A couple of Impact Distillation, may have comparably beneficial financial savings in each charge and emissions.c,[23],[24],[25]
Desk 1. Feasibility, Added-Price, and Demanding situations of Nuclear Science and Generation Programs in MENA
Supply: Authors’ personal, utilizing Neupane et al.[29] and Ihsanullah et al.[30]
Demanding situations to Nuclear Uptake
Environmental
With out built-in making plans,[31]1 the deployment of nuclear calories would possibly inadvertently threaten home meals and water provide by way of eating huge quantities of freshwater sources to chill techniques, and thereby competing with different water-intensive sectors. For instance,[32] oncethrough cooling techniques withdraw very excessive volumes of water, recirculating cooling techniques reason excessive water loss from evaporation, and dry cooling techniques lift air temperatures. Whilst coastal nuclear plant life can leverage desalinated water for cooling, desalination brine discharge can imperil marine ecosystems. Transitioning to water-efficient designs remains to be in nascent levels.
Additionally, regimen emissions can pose hostile ecological dangers for soil,[33]3 groundwater, and marine ecosystems. Nuclear plant life located close to shallow aquifers possibility potable water contamination, damages the coastal saline agriculture and endangers marine ecosystems. In arid soil, radioactive isotopes can permeate temporarily, resulting in larger plant uptake.[34] Within the long-term, launched radionuclides can disrupt ecological meals chains, erode genetic variety, and delivery to human meals. Despite the fact that the chance of radioactive waste is considerably mitigated, radionuclides may also be launched below uncommon and excessive stipulations. Developments in geospatial applied sciences and molecular biology methods can lend a hand mitigate those affects however expanding analysis on more secure possible choices like secure isotopes also are the most important.d,[35]
Regional
The presence of nuclear installations, irrespective of their shape or scale, will increase the securityrisk profile of any area, and those should be factored into any concerns in regards to the adoption or deployment of the shape. Despite the fact that nuclear-based science inputs for agriculture have marginal publicity to dangers of kinetic assaults and harm, the susceptibility of nuclear calories powered desalination plant life to equivalent threats may also be substantial. It could be profitable to believe the safety umbrellas and supervision bandwidths of every nation when assessing era deployment. Moreover, the extent of talents and experience wanted for adoption and implementation of those applied sciences are really extensive, and the area should give a boost to its native skill pool.
Financing
Despite the fact that governments have signalled passion in leveraging nuclear calories, there stays a loss of infrastructure, investment, and regional coordination to totally capitalise on its possible. Adopting nuclear calories comes with prohibitively high-capex necessities, and governments could also be interested in more cost effective choices.[36] Nuclear calories and its price as a strategic commodity additional entrench the centrality of governmental function in adopting this calories shape in MENA. The gasoline provide chains intrinsic to all of the price chain of nuclear calories’s use additional guarantees that governments would have a extra direct participation within the box somewhat than personal avid gamers. As such, financing stays a governmental prerogative within the area that would take pleasure in enhanced cross-border coordination. Significantly, the International Financial institution’s determination[37] to opposite its a long time lengthy moratorium on financing nuclear calories initiatives in early 2025, when coupled with the organisation’s commitments against meals safety as a part of its better human safety schedule, may just end up to be a precious harbinger of alternate for the MENA area.
Conclusion
Advancing past feasibility exams for nuclear methods calls for coordination between teachers, technical professionals, and policymakers to evaluate long-term environmental implications, get ready site-specific precautionary and remediation methods. Significantly, projects like Atoms4Food[38] and the FAO/IAEA’s Centre for Nuclear Ways for Meals and Agriculture[39] coordinate carried out analysis and capability construction and lend a hand safe personal financing resources.[40]
Thus, organising regulatory frameworks that minimize around the heterogeneity of MENA’s constituent nationwide skills would lend a hand create a secure and conducive surroundings for nuclear deployment for desalination. This may also be accomplished by way of making a regional regulatory and supervisory frame to mandate and observe adherence to non-proliferation requirements.[41] The UAE has, for example, set a benchmark thru a provision to permit inspections of its nuclear amenities at brief realize. The frame too can mandate integration of mitigation methods for all long term desalination infrastructure and expand a powerful data-sharing device to measure water ranges and desalination discharge. Such efforts will permit a policy-environment of sharing technical technology and best-practices, and facilitate relied on adoptions.
Leigh Mante is unior Fellow, Local weather and Power, ORF Center East, UAE.
Cauvery Ganapathy is Fellow, Local weather and Power, ORF Center East, UAE.
Endnotes
[1] United Countries Financial and Social Fee for Western Asia, “Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia Policy Briefs on Food Security Issues in the Arab Region Food SECURITY: Policy Briefs on Food Security Issues in the Arab Region,” UNESCWA, https://www.unescwa.org/websites/default/information/pubs/ pdf/food-security-issues-arab-region-english_0.pdf.
[2] Jagerskog et al., “The Water-Energy-Food Nexus in the Middle East and North Africa: Scenarios for a Sustainable Future,” Open Wisdom Repository, https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/ e-newsletter/11ca3b25-d3ab-5c72-829c-9428fd898164.
[3] United Countries Financial and Social Fee for Western Asia, “Policy Briefs on Food Security Issues in the Arab Region.”
[4] Maha Deeb et al., “The Urgency of Building Soils for Middle Eastern and North African Countries: Economic, Environmental, and Health Solutions,” Science of the Overall Surroundings 917, 2024: 170529, https://doi. org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170529.
[5] Deeb et al., “The Urgency of Building Soils for Middle Eastern and North African Countries.”
[6] “Nuclear Techniques to Enhance Nutritional Content in Plants and Protect Soil Health,” Foro Nuclear, November 14, 2024, https://www.foronuclear.org/en/updates/in-depth/nuclear-techniques-to-enhancenutritional- content-in-plants-and-protect-soil-health/.
[7] “Neutron Probe,” Soil Sensor, https://soilsensor.com/articles/neutron-probe/.
[10] “How Food Irradiation Works,” CDC Radiation and Your Well being, February 27, 2024, https://www.cdc.gov/ radiation-health/food-irradiation/index.html.
[11] Global Atomic Power Company, “What Is Food Irradiation and Why Is It Important?”
[12] “Food Irradiation Market Size ($408 Million) 2030,” Strategic Marketplace Analysis, November, 2025, https:// www.strategicmarketresearch.com/market-report/food-irradiation-market#:~:textual content=Adoptionpercent20ispercent20 stillpercent20inpercent20its,stagepercent2Cpercent20securitypercent2Dfocusedpercent20adoption.
[13] Jaber Maataoui et al., “Global Perceptions and Acceptance of Irradiated Food: A Comparative Systematic Review,” Italian Magazine of Meals Protection 14, no. 2 (Would possibly 2025), https://doi.org/10.4081/ijfs.2025.12885.
[14] Global Atomic Power Company, “What Is Food Irradiation and Why Is It Important?”
[15] International Nuclear Affiliation, “Desalination,” Would possibly 2, 2024, https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/nonpower- nuclear-applications/business/nuclear-desalination.
[17] “Nuclear Desalination,” IAEA, https://www.iaea.org/subjects/non-electric-applications/nuclear-desalination.
[18] “Monitoring Soil-Water-Nutrient Interaction Using Isotope and Nuclear Techniques,” IAEA, October 2018, https://www.iaea.org/websites/default/information/18/10/monitoring-soil-nutrient-interaction-using-isotope-andnuclear- methods.pdf.
[20] Mussie Naizghi et al., “Nuclear Desalination and Its Viability for the UAE,” 2011, https://doi.org/10.13140/2.1.5146.3044.
[21] Muhammad Zubair and M. S. Sajna, “Techno-Economic Analysis of SMR Integration into UAE’s Existing Desalination Infrastructure,” Annals of Nuclear Power 227, pt. B (2026): 111989, https://doi.org/10.1016/j. anucene.2025.111989.
[22] Mussie Naizghi et al., “Nuclear Desalination and Its Viability for the UAE.”
[23] International Nuclear Affiliation, “Desalination.”
[24] “Multi-Stage Flash,” Science Direct, https://www.sciencedirect.com/subjects/engineering/multi-stage-flash.
[25] “Multiple-Effect Desalination,” Science Direct, https://www.sciencedirect.com/subjects/engineering/multipleeffect- distillation.
[26] Sustainability Listing, “How Does Nuclear Energy Affect Water Resources?,” December 6, 2025, https:// calories.sustainability-directory.com/query/how-does-nuclear-energy-affect-water-resources/.
[27] Basanta Neupane et al., “Advancement in Agriculture through Radioisotopes: Current Context, Challenges, and Future Directions,” Magazine of Agriculture and Meals Analysis 21 Phase B, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jafr.2025.101966.
[28] Ihsanullah and Rashid, “Current Activities in Food Irradiation as a Sanitary and Phytosanitary Treatment.”
[29] Neupane et al., “Advancement in Agriculture Through Radioisotopes: Current Context, Challenges, and Future Directions.”
[30] Ihsanullah and Rashid, “Current Activities in Food Irradiation as a Sanitary and Phytosanitary Treatment.”
[31] Sustainability Listing, “How Does Nuclear Energy Affect Water Resources?”
[32] Sustainability Listing, “How Does Nuclear Energy Affect Water Resources?”
[34] Cling Yang et al., “Unravelling the Nuclear Isotope Tapestry: Applications, Challenges, and Future Horizons in a Dynamic Landscape,” Eco-Surroundings & Well being 3, no. 2 (2024): 208–226, https://doi.org/10.1016/j. eehl.2024.01.001.
[35] Global Atomic Power Company, “Stable Isotopes,” https://www.iaea.org/subjects/nuclear-science/ isotopes/stable-isotopes.
[36] Global Atomic Power Company, “Funding and Finance,” https://www.iaea.org/subjects/funding-andfinance#:~: textual content=Thepercent20IAEApercent20alsopercent20publishespercent20financial,constructionpercent20topercent20addingpercent20 additionalpercent20units.
[38] Global Atomic Power Company, “Atoms4Food,” https://www.iaea.org/services and products/key-programmes/ atoms4food.
[39] Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Countries and Global Atomic Power Company, “Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture,” https://www.fao.org/agriculture/fao-iaeanuclear- methods/en.
[40] Global Atomic Power Company et al., “Atoms4Food: Transforming Agrifood Systems With Nuclear and Isotopic Techniques,” 2023, https://www.iaea.org/websites/default/information/atoms4food-growing-food-security.pdf.
[41] Yang et al., “Unravelling the Nuclear Isotope Tapestry: Applications, Challenges, and Future Horizons in a Dynamic Landscape,” 208–226.
