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Established in 2014 and managed by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the Arab Food and Nutrition Security (AFNS) Blog seeks to disseminate policy-relevant discussions and insights from experts working on food and nutrition security in the MENA region.
The opinions or views contained in the AFNS Blog do not represent those of , CGIAR, , IFPRI, it's employees, agents, or affiliates.
Elena Hildebrandt, Communications Intern, IFPRI
Agricultural production and economic development are often neglected in policy discussions about the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Since the beginning of the Arab Spring in 2010, attention has primarily focused on political transitions, instability, and the resulting refugee crisis.
Paul Makdissi, Professor of Economics, University of Ottawa, Canada
Countries of the MENA rely mostly on consumption subsidies for reducing inequality. As we will illustrate below, a move from fuel subsidies towards food subsidies would be desirable. Unfortunately, some countries also started eliminating food subsidies.
Rachel Bahn and Sibelle El Labban, American University of Beirut
Fatma Abdelaziz, IFPRI
A robust dialogue on food policy that involves multiple stakeholders is critical to advancing food and nutrition security. This message was made abundantly clear through a launch event for IFPRI’s 2018 Global Food Policy Report (GFPR), held at the American University of Beirut (AUB) on July 3, 2018.
Aly Abousabaa, Director General of ICARDA
Food legumes offer myriad benefits for sustainable smallholder production systems. When used in crop rotations or intercropping, they can help increase levels of nitrogen in the soil, improving soil fertility, and subsequently crop productivity. They require minimum inputs, lowering the cost of production substantially. They are an excellent source of nutrients and proteins, enhancing food and nutritional security, especially for poor people. The potential they offer for climate-change adaptation is also substantial.
Jozimo Santos Rocha, Regional Agro-Industry Officer, FAO
Sustainable industrialization is well recognized to play an essential role to accelerate economic growth and social development. It reallocates labor and other resources from labor-intensive and less productive activities towards more capital- and technology-intensive ones, and offers great opportunities for developing countries to add more value locally by entering the downstream end of global value chains (GVC).
Egypt SSP is a joint program of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA)
