Daoud Kuttab – Milhilard.org

Dr. Theib Oweis, a Jordanian water expert, has won the Khalifa International Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation Award for 2026 in the category of Distinguished Personality in Agricultural Innovation. This award is granted annually by the General Secretariat of the Zayed Humanitarian Legacy Foundation at the Presidential Court in the United Arab Emirates. The award is valued at 750,000 UAE dirhams.

Dr. Oweis told Milhilard that the globally leading Khalifa International Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation Award will stimulate agricultural innovation and support sustainable agricultural systems, especially date palm cultivation. “Concerning Jordan, the award plays a significant role in the development, production, and marketing of premium Medjool dates and their global distribution.”

The award was granted to Dr. Oweis for his outstanding achievements and global impact in agricultural water management in arid and water-scarce environments. For over four decades, his scientific leadership, institutional management, and policy-making contributions have had a profound impact on how limited water resources are understood, managed, and governed to ensure the sustainability of agricultural production in arid and semi-arid regions, with particular emphasis on strategic crops and permanent farming systems such as date palms.

He led pioneering studies to assess the water productivity of date palms and compare it with other crops, contributing to the development of water allocation policies and investment decisions for this vital crop.

Former Minister of Water, Dr. Hazem Al-Nasser, expressed his pride in this award to a distinguished Jordanian expert, telling Milhilard: “Dr. Theib Oweis is one of the most important experts in the Middle East and North Africa in the field of managing scarce irrigation water in arid and semi-arid regions. What distinguishes Dr. Oweis’s research and studies is their practicality and the significant benefits they provide to farmers. Dr. Oweis’s contributions have had a major impact on conserving irrigation water and making barren lands arable. This honor is well-deserved by Dr. Oweis and his extensive experience in this field.”

Former Minister of Agriculture, Reda Shibli Al-Khawaldeh, congratulated Dr. Theib, saying: “Dr. Oweis is truly a distinguished researcher and a highly qualified scientific expert in the field of water. He has made significant contributions at the scientific level, in water policy, and in developing strategies related to water in general, as well as in the field of smart agriculture. Dr. Oweis deservedly won the award for his many years of scientific achievements and his contributions to the field of water in general. He is considered one of the world’s leading experts on water issues and has worked for many years with research centers, especially ICARDA, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas. Therefore, we are proud of this great achievement and that a Jordanian researcher has won this prestigious international award. This is a global award that attracts researchers, experts, and specialists from all over the world, making it a very high distinction, and winning it is truly a great accomplishment.”

Dr. Oweis’s influence is clearly evident through his pioneering role in developing and adopting supplemental irrigation concepts, rainwater harvesting, and agricultural water productivity on a large scale. He transformed these concepts from experimental ideas into globally applicable practices. His research provided a scientific foundation that shifted the model for managing scarce agricultural water resources to maximizing the value of production per cubic meter of water. This conceptual shift reshaped research agendas, extension strategies, and investment priorities in water-efficient agriculture worldwide. These achievements underscore Dr. Oweis’s exceptional and lasting impact on agricultural water management in arid environments.

Dr. Oweis is a Jordanian scientist specializing in water, agriculture, and the environment. He has been a professor at the University of Jordan and Tottori University in Japan, and for three decades has worked as a researcher and director of water, land, and ecosystem programs at the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA). For the past three years, he has been ranked among the top three scientists in the world in the field of water management in agriculture by the international scientific ranking organization Schorr-GPS.

For his part, Dr. Hilal Humaid Saed Al Kaabi, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Khalifa International Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation Award, affirmed that the award continues to solidify its position as a leading global platform for supporting agricultural innovation and promoting sustainable development. He noted that the 18th cycle saw the participation of 169 nominees from 30 countries, reflecting the growing international confidence in the award and its expanding impact. He explained that the award, since its inception in 2007, has contributed to the development of the date palm sector by supporting scientific research, transferring knowledge, and empowering farmers, with the support and guidance of the wise leadership. He emphasized that the announcement of the winners represents a renewed message to promote sustainability and innovation and to address environmental and food challenges, building upon the legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.