Marwa Osman

Egyptian environmental scientist leading desert greening initiatives through AI-driven reforestation

Marwa Osman is a groundbreaking Egyptian environmental scientist whose work with Green Arabia Initiative has transformed desert reforestation. Trained in remote sensing at Cairo University, she developed an AI-powered system in 2018 that identifies optimal planting zones in arid regions using satellite data and climate models. This approach has achieved 80% survival rates for saplings in Saudi Arabia's Al-Ula region - a 300% improvement over traditional methods.

Osman's methodology combines indigenous knowledge with modern technology, involving Bedouin communities in seed selection and planting. The initiative has planted over 50 million trees across Egypt, Sudan, and Yemen since 2020, creating 12,000+ jobs in rural areas. Her team's SmartSeed platform now forecasts optimal planting windows with 95% accuracy using machine learning.

Recognized as a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2022, Osman's work addresses the UN's Land Degradation Neutrality goal, reversing desertification in regions losing 5% arable land annually. Her TED Talk 'Growing Oases in the Desert' (2021) has inspired global replication in Namibia and Australia. By integrating community participation with cutting-edge tech, Osman's approach offers scalable solutions to one of Earth's most pressing ecological challenges.