Amjad Badr (; born 1969) is a Syrian academic and agricultural economist who has served as the Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform in the

Syrian transitional government The Syrian transitional government () is the current provisional government of Syria, formed on 29 March 2025 under President Ahmed al-Sharaa. It succeeded the Syrian caretaker government headed by Mohammed al-Bashir. The government was ...

since 29 March 2025.

Early life and education

Badr was born in 1969 to a

Druze The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...

family in

Suwayda Governorate As-Suwayda or Al-Suwayda Governorate () is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is the southernmost governorate, covering an area of 5,550 km², and is part of the historic Hawran region. The capital and largest city of ...

. He earned a degree in agricultural engineering from

Damascus University Damascus University () is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus, with campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 as the Syrian University () through the merger of the Faculty of Medicine of Dama ...

in 1993, with a focus on agricultural economics. He later obtained both his master's and doctoral degrees in

agricultural economics Agricultural economics is an applied field of economics concerned with the application of economic theory in optimizing the production and distribution of food and fiber products. Agricultural economics began as a branch of economics that specif ...

from the

University of Aleppo University of Aleppo (, also called Aleppo University) is a public university located in Aleppo, Syria. It is the second largest university in Syria after the University of Damascus. During 2005–06, the university had over 61,000 undergraduate ...

. During his studies, he conducted research on modern

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...

techniques and their effects on wheat productivity in Syria.

Academic and professional career

Badr has held various research positions at the General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research, particularly at the Suwayda Research Center. He has participated in several socio-economic studies related to the agricultural sector and collaborated with the

International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(ICARDA) on multiple development projects. He has published

peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...

research on wheat productivity, the efficiency of irrigation technologies, and the economic returns of agricultural systems. Badr has also presented papers at international conferences focusing on water resource management and

sustainable agriculture Sustainable agriculture is agriculture, farming in sustainability, sustainable ways meeting society's present food and textile needs, without compromising the ability for current or future generations to meet their needs. It can be based on an ...

Ministerial role

Following the formation of the

in March 2025, Badr was appointed as Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform. In his inaugural remarks, he emphasized the importance of sustainably utilizing Syria’s environmental diversity to enhance national food security. He aims to implement wide-ranging agricultural reforms to increase productivity and promote responsible use of natural resources.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Badr, Amjad Living people 1969 births 21st-century Syrian politicians Syrian economists Syrian Druze people Agriculture ministers of Syria Damascus University alumni University of Aleppo alumni