Food Security Program

Food security is essential for economic development and political stability, as events following the global food crisis and the Arab Spring have demonstrated. Yet, a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to food security is too often missing in the MENA region as food security is equated with food self-sufficiency and proposed solutions focus exclusively on agricultural production. This approach is ill-suited to the region given widespread water scarcity. Moreover, a narrow approach neglects important issues such as food accessibility, post-harvest loss, value chain management, food safety, and linkages with health issues and wider economic development.