Akissa Bahri facts for kids
Akissa Bahri is a very important person from Tunisia. She is an expert in agriculture and water. She used to teach at a university and now she is the Agriculture Minister of Tunisia. This means she helps make decisions about farming and food for the whole country. She has worked for many big organizations around the world, focusing on how we use water wisely.
Her Early Life and Education
Akissa Bahri went to primary school at Lycée de Jeunes Filles Armand Fallieres in Tunis. She then attended high school at Lycée Carnot, Tunis. She studied agricultural engineering in Toulouse, France. She earned a special engineering doctorate from the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse. Later, she received a Ph.D. in Water Resources Engineering from Lund University. Her Ph.D. work looked at how using certain types of water and waste could affect the environment in Tunisia.
Her Work and Research
Akissa Bahri's main research focuses on water quality. She also studies how to use water efficiently, especially in Tunisia. She has written many important papers. One of her notable works is about managing wastewater. She showed how wastewater can be a useful resource instead of just waste.
She also researched irrigation systems. These are ways to bring water to farms. She looked at how soil can get damaged. She found ways to help farmers and rural offices check the health of their soil.
As of 2025, Akissa Bahri is part of the JRS Biodiversity Foundation's Board of Trustees. She is also on an international committee for the UNU-Institute on Water, Health and Environment. She is a member of the Governing Council of the African Academy of Sciences. She also serves on the Human Rights & Science Advisory Board.
On September 2, 2020, Akissa Bahri became the Agriculture Minister of Tunisia.
Important Awards
Akissa Bahri has received several important awards for her work.
- In 1993, she won the IFS/King Baudouin Award. This award came from the International Foundation for Science.
- In 2009, she received the "Prof. C.N.R. Rao Prize for Scientific Research." The World Academy of Sciences gave her this award. It was for her great scientific work in developing countries.
- In 2018, she won the International Water Association 'Women in Water' award. This award recognized her amazing professional contributions. It celebrated her lifetime of work, projects, and research in the global water sector.
Books and Publications
Akissa Bahri has contributed to many important books and publications. These works often focus on water management and reuse.
- Managing Change to Implement Integrated Urban Water Management in African Cities: This paper was published in Aquatic Procedia in 2016. She wrote it with F. Brikke and K. Vairavamoorthy.
- Milestones in Water Reuse – The best success stories: She helped edit this book in 2013. Other editors included Valentina Lazarova, Takashi Asano, and John Anderson.
- Wastewater irrigation and health: assessing and mitigating risk in low-income countries: She helped edit this book in 2010. Other editors were Pay Drechsel, Christopher A. Scott, Liqa Raschid-Sally, and Mark Redwood.
- Water Reuse for Irrigation: Agriculture, Landscapes, and Turf Grass: She helped edit this book in 2005 with Valentina Lazarova.
