Foreign Solutions to Local Problems

When arable land is at a minimum, or when agricultural expertise is lacking; where is a nation to go to produce food? Why not buy out plots of land in other parts of the world where fertile soil is in abundance? That is exactly what some countries in the region are doing...

Hunger is not a new problem in the MENA region. Millions of people have been struggling with malnutrition and access to food for years, and international efforts are ramping up to address the worsening global economic and food crisis.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that over 800 million people around the world are undernourished. And even for many who are able to maintain nutritional health, it can be quite a struggle to put food on the table. Where is the food crisis of the new millennium stemming from? According to the UN’s Millennium Development Goals 2008 Report, under-investment in agricultural...

programs and farmland in developing nations is the largest cause of the crisis. Lack of investment means out-of-date agricultural technology and poor harvest yields, which leaves many countries resorting to importing vast quantities of food including staples like wheat. Many countries in the MENA region currently import over 50% of their food products. Even in areas of the world with better resources for funding agriculture, arid land, severe droughts and sweltering dry heat can result in poor conditions for farming and livestock.

So what are we doing to combat the food crisis?

Lebanon and Syria are turning to international organizations to help underwrite food subsidies. Others, like Morocco, are cutting down tariffs on imported foods to make foreign food sources more affordable while limiting exports to keep food in the country. With groups such as the Red Cross and last summer’s G8 Summit bringing more attention to the crisis, strategies for investing in longer term solutions are beginning to emerge. Countries like Djibouti and Yemen are seeking technical support from the World Bank to design more effective food policy responses. Governments are also exploring ways to increase salaries, especially among government employees, to help families combat rising food prices until costs stabilize. However, the most sustainable long-term solutions call for countries to produce their own food and reduce dependence on international imports. But how does a country without the natural resources for productive farming produce domestic crops?

Saudi Arabia is looking into agricultural lands in areas from Pakistan to the Ukraine and Thailand for potential large-scale farming projects. The United Arab Emirates is also exploring sites in Kazakhstan and the Sudan, while Libya is considering farmland in South Korea and Mongolia. These “overseas” domestic investments may mean that solutions to the food crisis in the MENA region are on the way in the years to come. Meanwhile, WorldHunger.org notes in its 2008 report that Kuwait, Syria, Egypt, Iran and Turkey have been making great progress to reduce hunger levels over the past 15 years. The key is to continue current efforts by combining international relief and food subsidies with stronger investments in local agriculture. So far, MENA is off to the right start, but as Josette Sheeran, Executive Director for the United Nations World Food Programme, reminded the world recently: “We are still in a food crisis. We are not out of the woods yet.” en.v

By Mindy Schulte