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Georgetown University’s Centre for International and Regional Studies (CIRS) in Education City recently launched a brand-new publication offering the “most comprehensive study available to date” on issues of food security and food sovereignty in the Arab region. |
Titled Food Security in the Middle East, the book provides empirical case studies of Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Yemen, the Gulf states and Iran, with special attention to how these countries have been affected by the events of the Arab uprisings and rising food prices following the global economic crisis of 2007-2008.
Some of the major themes examined include the ascent and decline of various food regimes, urban agriculture, overseas agricultural land purchases, national food self-sufficiency strategies, distribution networks and food consumption patterns, and nutrition transitions and healthcare.
Collectively, the chapters represent highly original contributions to the disciplines of political science, economics, agricultural studies and healthcare policy, and reflect the increasing urgency of policy and public debate in this subject.
“Unlike certain parts of the developing world, the Middle East is not known as a region that is facing critical famine or starvation. However, it is one of the least self-sufficient regions in the world for obvious reasons, such as water scarcity, but also for some less obvious reasons, such as land reform that impacts sufficiency,” said Zahra Babar, book editor and contributing author.
“In the GCC in particular, huge migration patterns have outpaced food sufficiency and will likely continue to do so, so this is an issue that is far more complex than some might imagine.”
CIRS director Dr Mehran Kamrava also contributed to the newly published volume.
“We hope this book sets a base of understanding for the full breadth of food security issues to benefit the work of scholars, researchers, practitioners and policymakers,” Kamrava said.
Suzi Mirgani, manager and editor for publications at CIRS and co-editor of the book, said: “Current food security issues are shifting from a largely economics-dominated model to one where sociopolitical factors are becoming increasingly active in how food is conceived, valued and distributed as a human right, rather than a market force. This book is an attempt to engage with this new paradigmatic shift.”
“This book is a fresh look at the challenges and opportunities associated with food security faced by the Middle East,” said Dr Julian A Lampietti of the World Bank.
The chapters in this volume, published by Oxford University Press and C Hurst & Co, grew out of two working group meetings held under the auspices of CIRS, and include contributions from 25 leading experts in food security issues from top universities around the world.
