تسبب ارتفاع أسعار المواد الغذائية واضطراب الإمدادات جراء نشوب الحرب في "أوكرانيا" في إلحاق أضرار فادحة بالبلدان الواقعة في "منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا"، بما في ذلك على سبيل المثال "مصر" و"السودان" و"اليمن" وهو ما يُعزى بشكل جزئي إلى فرط اعتمادها على واردات حبوب القمح. وبالرغم من ذلك، يتضرر "لبنان" – الذي يجتاز بالفعل في خضم أحد أبرز الانهيارات الاقتصادية الوخيمة التي شهدها العالم منذ خمسينيات القرن التاسع عشر – بمعدل استثنائي من التأثيرات السلبية القائمة في مجال الأمن الغذائي والناجمة عن اندلاع الصراع بين "روسيا" و"أوكرانيا".
One Of the World’s Worst Economic Collapses, Now Compounded By The Ukraine Crisis: What’s Next For Lebanon?
High food prices and supply disruptions triggered by the Ukraine war are hitting Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries like Egypt, Sudan, and Yemen hard, partly due their heavy dependence on wheat imports. But in the region, Lebanon—already in the midst of one of the world’s worst economic collapses since the 1850s—is uniquely vulnerable to food security impacts from the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Agricultural Statistics are Vital: The case of Lebanon
Riad Fouad Saade, CREAL, Lebanon
During the civil war in Lebanon between 1975 and 1990, the country was on “economic survival mode” and cared little about statistics. With post war era, many misleading statistics figures were used lacking serious references.
Recurrent climate events are a contingent liability in three MENA countries
Dorte Verner - Lead Agriculture Economist, World Bank
Findings from three new World Bank reports provide a strong reminder to build resilience to extreme weather events. Climate change, El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and other recurrent climate events are making already water-scarce countries in the Middle East and North Africa more vulnerable. Adverse climatic impacts on agriculture – including on wheat and other rainfed crops that are vital for food security -- is a growing liability for Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia, with projected impacts on household and national economies.
Are fuel or food subsidies the right policy tools to reduce inequality? An evidence-based illustration for four Arab economies
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.
