Abu Shaban, Ahmed
Visiting Professor
PhD in Agricultural Economics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany (2007); MSc in Rural Poverty, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany (2001); BSc in Agricultural Science (Plant Production), Al-Azhar University, Gaza, Palestine (1996)
Virtual Fellow, Scholasticide in and Beyond Palestine, Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society, University of Chicago (2026–2027); MESA Global Academy Fellowship, Middle East Studies Association (2024–2026); Fulbright Scholarship, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA (2013); DAAD Research Visit Scholarship, University of Hohenheim (2011); DAAD Scholarships for PhD (2004) and MSc (1999) studies, Germany
Active Affiliations:
Member, Scientific Committee (SciCom), DSTI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security (CoE-FS), South Africa (2026–2028); Expert Member, FAO Working Group on the Right to Food in Conflict Contexts and Protracted Crises (2026–present); Founder Member, Emergency Committee of Gaza Universities (2024–present); Steering Committee Member, Palestine Research Cluster, York University (2025–present); Member, American Association of Geographers (2025–present)
Dr. Ahmed Abu Shaban is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences at McGill University. He holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Hohenheim, Germany, and serves as Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine at Al-Azhar University - Gaza. His work examines the socioeconomic and policy dimensions of agriculture in conflict and fragile settings, with particular attention to food security, climate change adaptation, and the resilience of higher education under crisis conditions. Over two decades, he has advised the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Food Programme, UNDP, UNICEF, and the World Bank on agrifood systems, market development, and environmental and social assessment across Palestine and the wider Middle East. He currently serves as Technical Research Advisor for an FAO-supported study on the recovery of agrifood systems in Gaza and West Bank, as an Expert Member of the FAO Working Group on the Right to Food in Conflict Contexts, and as a Virtual Fellow at the University of Chicago's Neubauer Collegium, researching scholasticide in Palestine. A Fulbright Scholar and recipient of multiple DAAD awards, he has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and policy reports, and speaks widely on food systems and higher education resilience in conflict-affected regions.
At McGill, Dr. Abu Shaban is developing a new study, “Community-Based Food Systems: Lessons for the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Gaza's Agrifood System,” examining the governance, knowledge systems, values, and community networks that sustained food production in Gaza during the war, to inform future agrifood recovery and reconstruction policy. Since mid-2026, he has also been contributing in a technical advisory capacity to an FAO-supported study documenting how the war has disrupted agrifood systems, livelihoods, and recovery strategies in Gaza and West Bank. He is a Virtual Fellow with the University of Chicago's Neubauer Collegium project “Scholasticide in and Beyond Palestine,” examining how the destruction of Gaza's higher education sector has affected agricultural and environmental knowledge production. With the London School of Economics, he is investigating informal, community-based food networks and their role in mitigating food insecurity in Gaza during wartime. As Co-Investigator on a Simon Fraser University-led photovoice project, he documents everyday food production, access, and food sovereignty practices among Gaza households. He also contributes to the FAO Working Group on the Right to Food in Conflict Contexts and Protracted Crises.
Environment, ecology & sustainability; Safe, nutritious & secure food supply
Agriculture;Climate change;Economics;Ecology;Environment;Food governance and policy;Food safety;Water;Sustainable management systems;Food security
Dr. Abu Shaban studies how war, displacement, and economic hardship affect farming communities and the food people eat, with a particular focus on Gaza and the West Bank. He examines how families keep growing and accessing food when their land, markets, and universities are damaged by conflict, and how aid and policy can better support recovery. His work also looks at how climate change adds new pressures to already fragile food systems, and how women-led and community-based initiatives help households cope, adapt, and rebuild amid ongoing crisis.