The United Nations issued a new report, addressing the status of the population and food in 77 countries, including most countries of the Arab World and the Middle East. UN report has been completed to the miserable results , indicating a large degree of food dependency experienced by most Arab countries , as many third world countries.
The report, titled ” Index overpopulation “(overpopulation index), levels of per capita consumption of productive land vital; any productive land for food and water, and those for livestock. This is known as the environmental impact of consumption per capita (ecological footprint).
This corresponds to the indicator, the per capita share of productive land available, capable of producing vital resources , and compensation for the shortfall caused by human consumption, wahich is being defined as vital energy production (bio capacity).
After that it defines food dependency (food dependency) as the ratio of consumption based on external sources. The ratio begins at a minimum levels close to zero, in countries with agricultural production and water active , rising close to cent per cent, in countries heavily dependent on the outside.
There have been five Arab countries in the list of the top ten global level of food dependency . The index fluctuated this dependency in the respective countries between 93.5 % in Kuwait and 81.5 % in Iraq . He was in Lebanon, 82.5 %.
On a global scale , Singapore, is in first place, by 99.1%, and Burkina Faso ranked 77 ( the last among the countries ranked in the report) , by 1.9%. and replaced Israel in second place worldwide , increased dependency of 93.9 %. Egypt topped the No. 14 globally at 77% , Iran ranked 19 by 62.9 %, Saudi Arabia ranked 20 by 62.7 %.
This ratio was in Qatar, 59.6% , Azerbaijan 57 %, India 51% , Haiti 50.4% , Pakistan 49.9% , Turkey 48.3% , Syria 45.9% , Tunisia 38.9 % , Morocco 32.8% , Yemen 31.4% , Oman 28.5% , Djibouti 9.7 % , Kazakhstan 3.4%.
The global rate of food dependency ratio 30.4 %. In high-income countries 44.8 %. And middle-income countries 5.5%. And low-income countries 3.6 %. The rate in the European Union 32.9 %, in Canada and the United States 35 %.
Of course, these percentages can be read on more than one level. It can be said that the proportion within thirty percent may be considered acceptable , given the size of the overlap in the global food market.
In spite of this, beyond this ratio means that there is not likely exposed to food security, not necessarily a weakness, vulnerability and sensitive, in the perspective of the overall national security of the States concerned.
In contrast, less than 15% may indicate a state of isolation , or weakness in the link to the international economy , which is not good.
For the Arab countries in the report , there were mostly in the box states the great food exposure . This is a situation that may be considered alarming.
I registered the global average rate at this level clocked 2.59 hectares per capita and was amended in high-income countries 6.06 in middle-income countries , and 1.78 low-income countries 1.03 hectares. The lowest rate world wide was found in Haiti, by 0.48 hectares per capita and the rate was 0.75 in Pakistan , Tajikistan and Yemen 0.87 0.98 .
In terms of per capita share of productive land available, the global average was 1.81 hectares per capita. In high-income countries 3.35 hectares, and middle-income countries 1.68 hectares, and the low-income countries 0.99 hectares. The highest rate worldwide in Denmark, by 5.19 hectares per capita, and lowest in Singapore, by 0.04 hectares.
The score results in a number of the Arab states as follows: Qatar 3.91 , Amman, 2.53 , UAE 1.36, Saudi Arabia 1.3, Morocco 0.9 , Syria 0.87 , Algeria 0.82 , Djibouti, 0.84 , Yemen 0.67 , Libya 0.57 , Kuwait 0.52, Lebanon 0.37 , Egypt 0.32 , Jordan and Iraq 0.26 0.25 ha.
It is clear that these figures do not need much comment as they show a severe crisis in relationship to the state of the Arab world’s agriculture and farmers .
Adding to the aggravation of existing food security crisis , that the great elevation, and unprecedented in the prices of materials and food commodities.
The report of the joint , issued in June 2010 , for each of the Organization of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO) , the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development , noted that food prices would rise by 40% over the next decade. It is expected the report, titled ” Agriculture Outlook : 2010 – 2019 ” the average price of wheat and coarse grains over the next ten years actually limits ranging between 15 % to 45 %, compared to levels prevailing during the period 1997 and 2006. Is also expected to rise in the prices of plant oils and dairy products by about 40 %.
The report finds that agricultural output of the international , even if sufficient to meet the food needs of the world’s population , the sudden increases in prices, the economic crisis, may have contributed to the worsening situation of food insecurity and hunger , the suffering of about one billion people short of food.
For the Arab world , is required today is the rehabilitation of the agricultural sector. And direct investments to its branches and various fields , production and manufacture . Accordingly , we have to dust off plans found on the shelves for many years and start pulling our selves out of this predicament .