Exploring empirical indicators on food imports, food security and vulnerability in the Near East and North Africa region
Geneva – The FAO Liaison Office in Geneva, in collaboration with FAO Markets and Trade Division, organized its last Agricultural Trade Talks of the year, looking at empirical indicators on food imports, food security and vulnerability applied to the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region.
At this event, FAO presented an empirical approach, which is currently a work in progress, in a set of comparable cross-country indicators to capture countries’ dependency on imported food and its associated risk factors. The approach was presented in the context of the NENA region, which is highly dependent on imported food and may therefore be exposed to shocks affecting key global suppliers of food commodities. The event provided an opportunity for panelists from governments, FAO, and research institutions to share their perspectives on import-related vulnerabilities of countries concerning food security and their views on improving resilience to shocks affecting imports.
Jakob Rauschendorfer, FAO Economist from the Markets and Trade Division, presented the indicators and options to reduce food import vulnerabilities in the NENA region. Among these policy options, he highlighted (i) reviewing government tender procedures, (ii) leveraging private sector participation in imports, (iii) reviewing options to increase national production sustainably, (iv) exploring options to reduce food waste and losses along supply chains and (v) promoting more diversified diets.
Ahmed Maghawry Diab, Minister Plenipotentiary of the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the WTO discussed the role of trade in ensuring food security in Egypt. However, he stressed how trade alone is not enough for ensuring food security and that other solutions are needed, like increasing local production, enhancing productivity and strengthening the competitiveness of domestic production.
Ahmad Mukhtar, FAO Senior Economist of the FAO Regional Office for Near East and North Africa indicated that food self-sufficiency and trade could be considered as solutions. On the other hand, he highlighted that self-sufficiency has its own limitations as a solution considering natural resource endowments. Therefore, he underscored the importance of intraregional trade and a regional food security approach based on evidence and data.
Kibrom Abay from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) suggested rethinking investment and consumer policies, considering looming climate change, water scarcity and rising debt vulnerability for agricultural policies, expanding arable land, and increasing agricultural production when possible to address the vulnerability of the region to trade shocks.
FAO in Geneva Agriculture Trade Talks
In collaboration with the Markets and Trade Division, the FAO Liaison Office in Geneva is regularly organizing Geneva Agricultural Trade Talks to share information with the Geneva Trade Community on relevant and timely topics at the intersection of trade and agriculture. The agricultural trade talks provide an opportunity to discuss the potential implications of developments in the nexus of agriculture trade and food security and identify ways to address the challenges and opportunities in the context of agricultural trade.
Contact
Pinar Karayaka, FAO Economist, Liaison Office in Geneva