{"podcast":{"title":"Middle East Focus","slug":"middle-east-focus-529488","podcast_index_feed_id":529488,"rss_url":"https://middleeastinst.libsyn.com/rss","website_url":"http://www.mei.edu","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/a/4/a/8/a4a832f884ee9d9116c3140a3186d450/MEF_square-20250424-uf9f282kb1.png","author":"Middle East Institute","episode_count":100,"summary":"Weekly discussion of Middle East policy, arts, and culture, featuring experts from the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.","last_synced_at":"2026-09-18T08:19:26.403871+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/middle-east-focus-529488"},"episode":{"title":"Food Security in a Hotter, Drier North Africa","slug":"food-security-in-a-hotter-drier-north-africa","published_at":"2026-07-23T14:11:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/middle-east-focus-529488/food-security-in-a-hotter-drier-north-africa","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/middle-east-focus-529488","url":"https://middleeastinst.libsyn.com/food-security-in-a-hotter-drier-north-africa","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/middleeastinst/Middle_East_Focus_7.22.26_20260217T160513.002642_20260402T104122.002838_20260603T161046.615840_20260604T142209.247149_mixdown.mp3?dest-id=531685","summary":"This summer, brutally hot temperatures, deepening water scarcity, and spiking fertilizer costs have put North Africa's agricultural sector under intense pressure. Host Alistair Taylor is joined by Mohammed Mahmoud, CEO and founder of the Climate and Water Initiative and lead for Middle East Climate and Water Policy at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health, to unpack the region's food and water security challenges. Drawing on Mahmoud's new report card on agricultural sustainability in North Africa, they explore the diverging picture across the region, why some countries have weathered the strain better than others, and what it will take to build a more resilient and secure food system. Recorded on July 16, 2026. Read Mohammed's report card assessing the sustainability of agriculture across North Africa here .","meta_description":"This summer, brutally hot temperatures, deepening water scarcity, and spiking fertilizer costs have put North Africa's agricultural sector under intense p…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1972,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/middle-east-focus-529488/episodes/food-security-in-a-hotter-drier-north-africa/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/middle-east-focus-529488/food-security-in-a-hotter-drier-north-africa.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}