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DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20111114T180000
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SUMMARY:Food Security and Food Sovereignty in the Middle East Working Group I
DESCRIPTION:On November 13–14\, 2011\, CIRS held a two-day working group meeting\, to discuss issues related to its research initiative on “Food Security and Food Sovereignty in the Middle East.” The working group consisted of experts in the field who deliberated the historical\, economic\, and political aspects of the discourse as well as specific case studies of some Middle East countries. Also taking part in the meeting were some of the CIRS Research Grant recipients who updated the other working group members on their ongoing research projects and shared some of their preliminary findings. \n\nDue to the unfavorable natural conditions in many Middle Eastern and Gulf countries\, these states have never been fully self-sufficient in terms of food and have always had a strong dependence on imported food stuffs. This relationship of dependence on others for a basic human right\, make issues of food and food security highly politicized areas. Historically\, food and access to food have played pivotal roles in the social contract between governments and their populations and have had major effects on the domestic politics of Arab countries. Especially since the food price hikes of 2008\, governments have mandated special strategies and policies to address issues of inflation and simultaneous public unrest. The participants explained how the rise in food prices in the Middle East were a direct trigger for the Arab uprisings and the toppling of entrenched governments. Availability of food is thus a way for governments to gain political legitimacy and not just an issue of healthcare or social welfare. \n\nIn the Gulf region\, the ruling bargain based on rentier arrangements means that GCC governments must ensure the current and future stability of food supplies and so have invested in several long-term food security plans\, both locally and internationally. The participants explained that there was no comprehensive GCC-wide strategy regarding food security\, even though there are similarities in their approaches. Currently\, rather than addressing the root causes of food price hikes\, there is a tendency to treat the symptoms of the problem in the GCC by issuing policies that suppress food prices in order to stabilize the market. \n\nOne of the most controversial and highly publicized areas of food security initiatives is the strategy of foreign “land acquisitions.” Although many of these schemes are highly successful in terms of yield\, these initiatives are problematic for a variety of political and ethical reasons. Land acquisitions in poor third world countries are not always subject to consensual international laws. It is often the case that laws ensuring land and property rights are weak and not properly enforced\, thus paving the way for corrupt practices and forced takeovers of local farms. \n\nOn the global level\, climate change and environmental issues should be studied as an important part of the research. From a sociological perspective\, changes in life-style and habits have increased demand for increasingly diverse types of food\, and this in turn has added to increased environmental and economic strains. To the extent that Middle East and GCC countries will continue to be dependent on imports of particular foods\, there is considerable scope for regional cooperation. The participants advised these countries to invest in regional or international food storages\, whether actual or virtual. The Gulf states need to develop stronger relationships with foreign partners like the World Trade Organization to increase capacity-building measures\, rather than rely on the idea of self-sufficiency\, which\, the participants argued\, is ultimately unsustainable. \n\nThe participants cautioned that governments’ sudden interest in food security as an area of investment should be viewed critically. Historically\, countries have always been subject to fears over future food reserves\, making the idea of “food self-sufficiency” a fallacy. Storing food during times of war is part of the world’s collective memory and governments should not give in to the fear mongering inherent in the discourse of food security. Oftentimes\, the fear over the availability of current or projected food supplies is used as a pretext to achieve alternative political agendas. Calls for greater domestic food production in the Middle East and the GCC are not rational programs given the limited budgets and/or resources.  \n\nClick here for the working group’s agendaClick here for the participants’ biographiesRead more about the research initiative \n\nCIRS Grant Recipients:\n\nElisa Cavatorta\, University of LondonShadi Hamadeh\, American University of BeirutJane Harrigan\, SOAS\, University of LondonKarin Seyfert\, American University of BeirutBen Shepherd\, University of SydneySalwa Tohmé Tawk\, American University of BeirutMary Ann Tétreault\, Trinity UniversityDeborah L. Wheeler\, United States Naval Academy \n\nArticle by Suzi Mirgani\, CIRS Publications Coordinator
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/food-security-and-food-sovereignty-middle-east-working-group-i/
CATEGORIES:Environmental Studies,Focused Discussions,Regional Studies
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20111114T080000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Moscow:20111114T180000
DTSTAMP:20260510T045549
CREATED:20141023T112921Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240314T105058Z
UID:10000938-1321257600-1321293600@cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu
SUMMARY:Arab Food\, Water\, and the Big Gulf Land-Grab that Wasn't
DESCRIPTION:On November 14\, 2011\, Eckart Woertz\, Visiting Fellow at Princeton University\, delivered a CIRS Monthly Dialogue lecture titled\, “Arab Food\, Water\, and the Big Gulf Land-Grab that Wasn’t.” Woertz placed the question of food security within a historical and cultural context. Food\, he said\, has historically been a highly politicized commodity and has been subject to political maneuvering regardless of the actual resources of food available. He argued that “with rising import needs\, the GCC faces increasing problems\,” and so food security is important for the political legitimacy of any government in its ability to satisfy social needs now and in the future. \n\nHistoric experience shows that countries have always been dependent on imports of one kind or another and are\, as such\, always susceptible to any fluctuation in energy or food supplies. This relationship of interdependence where countries find themselves vulnerable within the global matrix is capitalized upon by regional and international power politics. \n\nThe availability of food is considered a basic human right that all governments must provide their populaces. In the rentier arrangement of Gulf countries\, the ruling elite are particularly susceptible to criticism and social unrest if social welfare is not maintained. The food price hikes and export restrictions by food exporters like Russia\, India\, and Vietnam caused wide-spread panic in 2008 all around the world. This prompted Middle East countries\, and Gulf states in particular\, to become increasingly aware of their vulnerabilities in relation to issues of food security. In order to address the growing problem\, several Gulf states have invested in various agricultural enterprises\, both domestically and abroad. \n\nMany of the domestic food security projects are not environmentally or economically rational endeavors. For example\, Woertz explained how Saudi Arabia\, despite water shortages and harsh desert conditions\, became a wheat grower and exporter in the 1990s\, placing heavy demands on already strained water supplies. Currently\, Saudi has one of the largest dairy farms in the world and imports large amounts of sheep. In order to properly sustain this livestock industry\, Saudi has become one of the largest importers of barley. \n\nOn the international level\, many GCC governments have announced foreign land acquisitions\, known to critics as “land-grabs\,” mainly in nearby Sudan\, but also in countries as far away as Brazil and Australia. The bulk of these land acquisitions usually take place in the poorer third world countries and so many question whether human and land rights are respected and whether international laws are being properly enforced. In the 1980s\, Gulf countries wanted to develop farmlands in Sudan to serve as a “Bread Basket” to feed populations back home\, but this scheme was terminated due to various problems\, among them corrupt governance during the Nimeiri regime. \n\nThe discourse of food security is prone to high levels of fear-mongering. Woertz recounted the health problems that exist in the Gulf and that are caused by bad dietary habits. He explained that high levels of obesity and diabetes are generally a sign that “Gulf countries are food secure. If there’s a problem\, it’s with too much food\, not too little\,” he said. \n\nEckart Woertz was former Director of Economic Studies at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai and held senior positions in financial services companies in Germany and the UAE. He is currently finishing a book about Middle East food security and has published widely on financial markets and economic development in the Gulf and is a well-known commentator for international media outlets. He holds a PhD in economics from Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.  \n\nArticle by Suzi Mirgani\, CIRS Publications Coordinator
URL:https://cirs.qatar.georgetown.edu/event/arab-food-water-and-big-gulf-land-grab-wasnt/
CATEGORIES:Dialogue Series,Environmental Studies,Regional Studies
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