The SEKEM community and Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development mourn the loss of Prof. Dr. Mohamed Yousry Hashem. We share a longstanding history together and he will always stay close as a member of the SEKEM initiative.
In 1994 he joined SEKEM as a consultant for fumigation for biological products and supported the establishment of the Egyptian Biodynamic Association (EBDA) and the certification body “Center of Organic Agriculture in Egypt” (COAE). Since then, under his leadership the center developed to an internationallyacknowledged level.
In 2017 Prof. Dr. Mohamed Yousri Hashem becamethe president of Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development. As the former Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University and serving many years as a Professor at the department of Economic Entomology & Pesticides at the Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, he supported the agriculture scientific movement in Egypt.
Prof. Hashem gained his significant experience on the international level after serving as the Vice President of the International Federation for Organic Agriculture Movement (IFOAM), as well as working as a lead auditor for multiple international organic accreditation bodies such as: Soil Association (England), Fair Trade International (Germany), IFOAM, Bio-Suisse, etc.
He was one of the world’s foremost experts in Organic and Biodynamic Agriculture. During his time as dean at Cairo University, Prof. Hashem developed one of the first Organic Agriculture Programs in Egypt, and at Heliopolis University he established the first Faculty of Organic Agriculture and the first academic program for Biodynamic Agriculture.
He has been a servant for organic farmers, healthy soils and communities and he remains a role model for the next generation, the students of Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development.