Iraq has developed a National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. It was published in September 2024. This framework aims to address the impacts of climate change through adaptation and mitigation measures. It is also aligned with international agreements such as the Paris Agreement. 

The Czech Republic supports the efforts of the Iraqi Government. And we recognize the great contribution of “Bahr Alolom Forum” and their “Iraq Thirst” program. We believe it is now the right time to (1) mobilize the stakeholders and main actors in Iraq and to (2) raise awareness throughout the whole Iraqi society. That is why the Czech Embassy in Baghdad invites the Czech experts to share their unique expertise with Iraqi stakeholders and experts. The event will take place next week at the Bahr Alolom Forum. This unique activity is financed from the Agenda 2030 financial program of the Czech Foreign Ministry. 

First expert is prof. David Herák, Ph.D. from Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. Prof. David Herák, Ph.D., currently serves as the Vice-Dean for International Relations and a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague. His expertise lies in the application of agricultural technologies in tropical countries and in enhancing energy efficiency in the processing of agricultural products. His research is deeply intertwined with the modelling and simulation of agricultural product behaviour, particularly through the development of digital twins. For the past two decades, Professor Herák has actively participated in numerous scientific projects to improve agricultural processing globally, focusing on countries such as Ethiopia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Turkey, and Ukraine. He coordinates summer schools in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Turkey, and has also held guest professorships at several international universities. Professor Herák is a member of the European Physical Society and the Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Additionally, he serves as an editor and sits on the editorial boards of several prestigious scientific journals, including Biosystems Engineering, and Research in Agricultural Engineering. In addition to his academic and research roles, Professor Herák is an evaluator for the National Accreditation Bureau for Higher Education of the Czech Republic and the Council for Research, Development, and Innovation of the Czech Republic. Contact: herak@tf.czu.cz 

Second expert is Dr. Jakub Fay, founder and co-owner of company Growlight Bohemia. Dr. Jakub Fay is the CEO of Growlight, a Czech food tech startup that develops and manufactures indoor automatic hydroponic systems for various crops. Vertical farming is more space-efficient and can even be a good solution for restaurants, hotels, or homes to gain self-sufficiency in the production of herbs. We face new challenges around the world. The space for growing crops is decreasing. Salads, radishes and other common types of vegetables and fruits are being brought to us from ever greater distances, which increases not only their price, but also the carbon footprint that the transport of such crops leaves behind. So-called vertical farming is starting to be an effective solution. In hydroponics (i.e. when growing plants without soil in a nutrient solution) weeds do not grow, there is no need to use pesticides. However, the biggest benefits of vertical hydroponic production are its all-year-round availability, higher nutrient content and faster growth rate. Growlight company has been offering customers tailor-made hydroponic growing systems since 2015. Thanks to their partners, Growlight is able to deliver an interior garden in a matter of weeks, and the implementation of larger farms in a matter of months. Their large FoodTech grow room (called Bohemian Garden) offers space for about 3,600 cultivated plants - up to 200 lettuces can be harvested from one of these cultivation rooms per day, saving maximum water, soil and space. Contact: fay@growlight.cz 

In addition, the event will benefit from the presence of Dr. Katarína Komenská, country director of NGO People in Need Iraq, 
Dr. Katarina Komenska is a humanitarian and development aid worker with over 5 years of experience in Middle East and North Africa region. Previously, she worked for 10 years in Slovakia as a researcher. She was involved in joint projects with European universities. Her main research focus is how Ethics is applied in the process of education. She published several papers in area of Ethics. Currently, she works as a Country Director for Iraq of an NGO People in Need, where she (among other) actively supports development and implementation of the resilience building and education programming in Iraq and Kurdistan regions of Iraq.  Contact: katarina.komenska@peopleinneed.net

 

Připravil: Ing. Roman Plevák, Ph.D., vedoucí oddělení obchodu a rozvojové spolupráce, Velvyslanectví ČR v Bagdádu