Subhi Qasem was one of those traced by the study. He spoke to IDRC about his life’s work.

Current Position: Consultant
Home Country: Jordan
IDRC Support Received: Research Fellowship, University of Jordan (1981-1983)

Subhi Qasem is a leading expert on two critical development issues facing the Middle East – managing agricultural resources and developing higher education.

He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in agricultural sciences in the United States and joined Jordan’s Ministry of Agriculture upon his return home in 1960. There he helped establish the West Bank’s first agricultural experimental station, which examined how to introduce different fruit and vegetable crops into the region.

But Qasem says he became concerned about the state of Jordan’s educational system.

“I do believe that higher education is the basis for a society’s progress,” says Qasem. “It is the way to make a society more productive.”

He decided to work at the University of Jordan, where he stayed for 26 years, founding the school’s science, agriculture, medicine, and graduate studies faculties. During the early 1980s, he received an IDRC research fellowship to study Jordan’s research and development capacity.

After a brief stint as Jordan’s Minister of Agriculture in 1991, Qasem started his own consultancy – which focused on research and development, science and technology education, agricultural policy, and the environment.

He was part of a team that created a science and technology strategy for the region and he leads a team of consultants who study higher education in Jordan. The team presents a report every five years to government officials.

In recognition of his contribution to science in the Middle East, the late King Hussein ibn Talal of Jordan awarded Qasem the Medal of the Kawkab (Star) and the Istiklal (Independence) Medal.

Qasem is currently leading a team of researchers that will examine how Jordan can adapt to rising food costs.

“I am interested in how we can make people more conscious of the viability and vitality of agriculture and the fact that access to food is becoming an important issue.”


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