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Wither the self-sufficiency illusion? Food security in Arab Gulf States and the impact of COVID-19
[journal article]
Abstract Past approaches to food security in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) were informed by concerns about food availability. They aimed at domestic self-sufficiency and self-sufficiency by proxy (via farmland investments abroad). These strategies have failed. Water scarcity at home inc... view more
Past approaches to food security in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) were informed by concerns about food availability. They aimed at domestic self-sufficiency and self-sufficiency by proxy (via farmland investments abroad). These strategies have failed. Water scarcity at home increasingly compromises agricultural production. Farmland investments abroad have not matched ambitious related announcements due to a complex mixture of commercial, socio-economic and political factors. They do not contribute meaningful quantities to the Gulf countries' food imports. The failure of such strategies has prompted a shift of focus instead towards value chain management as a means to secure food availability. Rather than trying to fight food import dependence, the Gulf countries now accept and manage it. However, malnutrition that leads to high levels of obesity and diabetes constitutes a risk factor in the face of COVID-19. Food accessibility for vulnerable population segments such as migrant labour is another issue that requires yet further policy measures, such as safety nets – whose expansion would be politically controversial if not impossible, however.... view less
Keywords
North Africa; food; control; investment; value chain; security; import; supply; agricultural production; illness; influence; nutrition policy; Persian Gulf; epidemic; economic self-sufficiency
Classification
Special areas of Departmental Policy
Free Keywords
Mittlerer Osten; Lebensmittelkontrolle; Landinvestition; Golfstaaten; Pandemie; COVID-19
Document language
English
Publication Year
2020
Page/Pages
757–760 p.
Journal
Food Security (2020) 12
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-020-01081-4
ISSN
1876-4517
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed