 |
| |
Sustainable Agriculture And Food Security: Necessity Not Luxury For MENA | |
| Staff Writer |
The Middle East region while blessed with an overabundance of oil reserves largely faces deficits when it comes to pressing issues like water, and food security. climate neutrality in many ways contributes to promoting sustainable development and supports technology localization, modern farming techniques, food security, and the conservation of natural resources. Due to increased desertification, it has become increasingly difficult for countries in the Middle East to neglect more durable methods of growing crops so a workable method is now no longer a factor one can waste any more time contemplating. Climate-smart agriculture can help improve water usage and reduce reliance on its finite supply of groundwater.
 |
Climate change and the increased dependence on oil have also made it peremptory to acknowledge the food security issue and deal with it directly. The Middle East has been known to be one of the most dependent regions for food security, which according to the Morgan Group will only worsen by 2050 should the issue not be addressed. The approach to food security taken by these countries holds the keys to solving global food challenges.
The Gulf countries have been relying on each other and the world at large by importing produce, however, this also poses a serious threat to traditional agriculture in the region. However, this has made Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) a viable and effective solution. CEA is the growing of crops while controlling certain aspects of the environment which in natural environs could lead to pests, increase efficiencies, be more sustainable, increase yield and also save costs. Different research studies enable automation of the environment and study what can be controlled including temperature, humidity, light, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and more using technology and data, have become one more source of crops that can be grown for food, nutraceutical or pharmaceutical applications.
The region’s ongoing food production concerns exacerbated by the demands of the ever-growing population prove the extent to which CEA needs to be normalized.
In its mission to become a global leader the Middle East has been launching, promoting, and propagating initiatives that are invested in solutions for modern agriculture. The ruler of Dubai appointed a new Minister of State for Food Security which was applauded by most as a way to have a more dedicated approach to the entire idea of Sustainable Agriculture.
 |
One of the recent entrants into the sustainable agriculture market is ‘hydroponics.’ Hydroponics is quite environment-friendly and a profitable technology. This particular vertical has gained traction over time by assorted governments and non-governmental organizations for its advantages in terms of food security. However, the major downside is the high costs attached which is the sole major disadvantage in technology. The accelerated research around it may however bring a finer conclusion to this problem. According to Digital Journal, the market size of this particular market will be worth USD 8.64 Billion by the year 2027. But hydroponics is no panacea to the problem.
Another worthwhile initiative that has come up is to encourage farmers to use recycled or desalinated water sources and to cultivate crops that consume less water and are more resilient to the hot, salty climate.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), shrinking freshwater resources are another impact of climate change and will have a heavy bearing on the region’s food availability and stability. “While undernourishment has decreased worldwide, the conflict has caused the number of undernourished people in the MENA region to increase,” says Farrukh Iqbal, Chief Technical Specialist at World Bank.
The UAE has made substantial investments in its food security. The UAE is expected to invest up to $7 billion in India’s food sector in the next three years as part of the UAE-India food corridor project. Likewise, Saudi Arabia is phasing out their domestic wheat production, saying that it's no longer sustainable given their finite water resources. Qatar has been working on developing a self-sustaining food system for the past few years.
For a city to be truly sustainable it is necessary to create and implement robust policies that promote a diverse range of solutions that include but are not restricted to incentivizing new farms, technology transfers to equip the farmers and finally, introducing consistent policies that encourage investors and entrepreneurs to enter the space rather than looking at it as a dicey investment option are just a few ways out of the problem.
Constructing high-tech, climate-controlled greenhouses that use natural sunlight to produce pesticide-free fruits and vegetables is also a highly viable option. Cities in Kuwait enjoy a high rate of annual sunlight but low rainfall hence this becomes a very good way of accelerating the rate of production.
Given this clear interest in CEA and growing efforts to enable this transition in the region, increased food security and self-sufficiency may no longer be the Middle East region’s biggest problem. Effective Climate-smart sustainability initiatives are the way forward.