Food Security Strategies in the Arab World

In the MENA Region, due to scarce resource endowments, domestic production of water-intensive food has never been considered an efficient way of using natural resources. Instead, countries have been generally forced to adopt a trade-oriented food security strategy based on the neoclassical theory of international comparative advantages. Nevertheless, achieving a certain level of food self-sufficiency has always been a national strategic goal, especially when it has been necessary to take into account considerations that go beyond mere economic analysis, including geopolitical and social concerns. The chapter is divided into three sections. The first analyses the food security status in the Arab countries at both national and household levels, discovering the agricultural potential and identifying factors that affect food demand and supply. In the second, the historical evolution of food security strategies in the Arab world aretraced, highlighting factors influencing strategic choices adopted by governments in different historical periods. In the last section, the author tries to identify a framework of appropriate policies and strategies to ensure long-term food security in the Arab world. The analysis shows that in the MENA region, food security is a very complex issue in which different variables interact with each other. As a result, to feed a growing population and, at the same time, mitigate countries' economic and environmental vulnerability, it is necessary to have an integrated and holistic approach that goes beyond a purely economic assessment to include political, social, and environmental factors that can affect food security in all its dimensions.