AFED’s 7th Annual Conference Recommendations: Food Security Supports Political Stability

On December 12th, The Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) released the recommendations of its seventh annual conference held in Amman, which addressed food security in Arab countries. The recommendations were finalized by a high-level committee of experts and officials who participated in the conference.

In general, the recommendations, announced by AFED secretary general Najib Saab, call for filling the gap in food production, amounting to US$36 billion annually, by enhancing land productivity, irrigation efficiency and regional cooperation. While recognizing the importance of political stability and security in this regard, the recommendations pointed out to the role of food security in creating jobs and supporting political and social stability. The following recommendations help focus policy decisions when addressing the region’s numerous challenges:

1. Strengthen regional cooperation among Arab countries, based on comparative advantage in agricultural and investable capital resources, coupled with coordination and harmonization of agricultural development strategies and programs and their contribution to overall food security.
2. Take the necessary actions to reverse the deteriorating state of agricultural resources and maintain their bio-capacity to regenerate their services and contribution to food security.
3. Consider implementation of the available options for increasing the ratio of sustainable self-sufficiency, including, among others, boosting crop and water productivity, improving water-use efficiency, reducing post-harvest and other losses, and promoting the use of treated wastewater for irrigation.
4. Allocate more investment in scientific research to support all elements of food security, agricultural know-how, and development programs, as well as human and institutional capacity development. Research should be geared towards more productive and environmentally protective inputs and agricultural practices, with the aim of boosting the productivity of rain-fed and irrigated agriculture. Additional funds should be allocated for research in areas including agricultural economic development, human nutrition, food safety, water and sanitation systems, and effective policy. Source: AFED
5. Develop livestock production systems in a sustainable manner, and increase the investment in fisheries as an important source of good protein which enhances the nutritional value and food safety for consumers, with no pressure on natural resources. Such investments can increase sustainable production of fish to meet local demand and promote the export potential.
6. Implement an awareness campaign to reduce food waste and losses, and to change consumption patterns, possibly through the substitution of food products with others having similar or greater nutritional value, but which are less water-intensive.
7. Adopt, through public-private partnerships, an integrated innovative approach to food security. One that incorporates key food value-chain components, harvesting, transportation, import-export logistics, processing, storage, and retailing, to make food available, accessible, utilizable and stable, with good quality at the right time and place.
8. Develop responses to cope with the threat of climate change on food security in the region through adaptation strategies. Such strategies may be based on relevant and reliable climate forecasting models, crop tolerance to drought, heat and salinity and adaptation mechanism, with the adoption of improved agricultural practices and water management, conservation agriculture, diversification of crops, and selection of crops and cultivars best suited to the predicted stressed conditions, among other adaptation and mitigation measures.
9. Encourage urban farming and the development of family farms, with the support of governments, private sector and civil society, and provide them with the facilities and training, to produce added-value products and create job opportunities and marketing options through agricultural cooperatives to improve income.
10. Enable women to play their expected role in development, including the agricultural sector, due to their positive impact on food security.
11. Recognize the importance of political stability and security in Arab countries, to enable investment in agriculture without hindrances and the adoption of reform policies to promote the contribution of the private sector. Equally, recognize the crucial contribution of enhancing sustainable agriculture, which boosts food security and creates job opportunities, to political stability and better security.
12. Resolve differences and conflicts, in order to enable capacities for action on human welfare and food security. Also, support the Palestinian people’s right to their land and water and to utilize them for enhancing their food security.

Photo Credit: AFED