The ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ of #foodsecurity can also be classified by abundance (or scarcity) of the two essential inputs to farming and crop cultivation – arable land and renewable water resources. You either have them or you don’t .
If we look at these vital resources in terms of per capita endowments, then the classification becomes abundantly clear. Here again, MENA countries (red) cluster almost exclusively in the ‘short’ quadrant (with the lone exception of Iran), while the ‘abundance’ quadrant is populated by the same large structural food exporters we highlighted in Part I (see: https://lnkd.in/dAwfXet).
While land productivity is something that can be maximized (farming yields or production of cereals per hectare of arable land), renewable water resources can also be utilized more productively, efficiently and sustainably (modern irrigation). There is however a limit to productivity, uplift with cereal yields in many MENA countries having reached levels that have eclipsed the likes of Brazil & Argentina already (two of the most productive farming powerhouses globally). Can MENA farming productivity rise much further to satisfy growing domestic demand?
We believe this further underscores the severity of MENA’s food scarcity situation.
Jadara Blog 