Food security in the GCC: specific characteristics and solutions

Food security is an issue of critical importance for GCC countries. The share of domestic agricultural production remains low, because water supplies and arable land are an extremely scarce resource in the region. These countries currently import most of what they consume and will continue to do so, since national food production is not a viable option. The study reveals the specific characteristics of the food problem of GCC countries and the ways to solve it, which can be used to ensure more optimal food imports. Special attention is paid to investment projects in the food sector of the GCC countries.

Food Security and COVID-19: Impacts and Resilience in Singapore

Across the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted food supply chains and threatened food security. Singapore is highly dependent on food imports and has an open economy that exposes it to volatile global markets, so it is acutely vulnerable to the effects of the pandemic on other countries, the effectiveness of measures taken by foreign governments to combat the spread of the virus and overall disruptions of international trade links. Proactive and reactive steps have been taken to protect Singapore's food supply chains against the adverse impacts of COVID-19. In this paper, we discuss food security in the city state, the impacts of COVID-19 in the population, the local production, and imports from two main trade partners: Malaysia and China. We conclude by acknowledging the complexity of achieving food security under the very difficult circumstances.

Assessing Cuba’s Early Re-peasantisation during the Special Period and beyond (1990-2008)

Cuban peasants had a significant role model in the past as they returned to the political agenda after the Revolution, and with particular emphasis during the Special Period, to confront the lack of food imports. The fall of Communism in the wider world forced Cuba to implement an alternative agriculture model that revolutionised production patterns and decentralised land structures and commercialisation. Did these changes create opportunities for small farmers during the 1990s and early 2000s? And if so, what kinds of opportunity were created? This article assesses the initial effects of re-peasantisation in terms of increasing small farmers’ incomes and significance in numbers, and their contribution to national food production (considering production and productivity levels), from 1990 to the end of Fidel Castro’s administration.

Chapter 9: Russia’s Agri-Food Trade with the Middle East and North Africa

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is the top destination for Russian food exports, grains in particular. Focusing on Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, this chapter shows that Russia’s food trade with MENA countries is strongly affected by bilateral political relations. Russia banned most food imports from Turkey over a political conflict in 2016. In the same year, improved intergovernmental cooperation with Saudi Arabia resulted in a diversification of Russia’s food exports to the Gulf country, and in 2019, Iran’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) led to increasing food trade with Russia. Food imports in MENA countries are usually managed by powerful state trading enterprises (STEs), which recurrently disapprove food products originating from Russia based on non-adherence to food quality standards. Our analysis shows that Russia is successfully working to open additional destination markets, while simultaneously impeding imports of food products that it aims to produce domestically.

Introduction: Is Russia’s Role in the International Agri-Food System Sustainable?

This introductory chapter examines the question whether Russia’s increased role in the international agri-food system is sustainable. Russia’s role in the international food trade system has changed from being a food importer to an importer and exporter. The first section discusses several factors that impact food imports: food production; knowledge-based innovation; politicalisation of food trade policy; and population and consumption. The second part examines factors that affect food exports: agri-food export policy; climate change; foreign competition; infrastructure; and regional foreign demand. The final section provides an outlook for the future, concluding that Russia will remain a food importer although the structure of imported commodities and trading partners will continue to evolve. Absent a major climatological disaster or significant economic downturn, we express cautious optimism that Russia will continue as a major food exporter.

Tokyo will move closer to Washington on Taiwan

Significance In rapid succession, unprecedented statements, meetings and actions over the last few months indicate stronger Japanese support for Taiwan, and by implication its autonomy from China. Impacts Taiwan’s accession to the CPTPP is still unlikely as long as China opposes it and Taiwan continues banning certain Japanese food imports. Industries depending on high-end semiconductors will benefit from Japan’s diversification of its semiconductor supply chains. Though he presents himself as tough on China, Japan's new prime minister may turn out to be more risk-averse on Taiwan.

A Novel Concept for Sustainable Food Production Utilizing Low Temperature Industrial Surplus Heat

Low temperature industrial surplus heat represents a major energy source that is currently only rarely utilized due to its low quality. An agricluster allows for the leveraging of this low-quality heat and, hence, may improve the overall energy efficiency. This paper presents the novel concept of an agricluster driven by available surplus heat from industrial processes. We propose the integration of greenhouse production, insect rearing, fish rearing, and drying of seaweed using low temperature surplus heat from the aluminum industry. Each of these processes is already used in or investigated for utilization of surplus heat and partly coupled with other processes, such as in aquaponics. However, the integration of all processes in an agricluster—as proposed in this paper—may result in improved utilization of the surplus heat due to the different seasonality of the heat demand. The potential synergies of this integration approach are discussed in this paper. Furthermore, waste from one process can be utilized as an input stream to other processes, reducing the demand for external material input to the system. The proposed concept of an agricluster is especially interesting for the Nordic countries, as they are dependant on fresh food imports due to the low outside temperatures.

Food supplying in Ukraine and the world under COVID-19 pandemic

The purpose of the article is to study an impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the functioning of global agricultural market, situation with food supplying in Ukraine and other countries, as well as to assess development of related processes in the near future. Research methods. Methods used: theoretical generalization - for describing the overall situation in global, regional and national agri-food markets due to the effects of coronavirus pandemic from 2020 to the present, analysis and synthesis - for studying food security in separate countries and globally for now and in the near future, taking into account current situation, finding aggregate values of world agricultural trade for the analyzed period, comparative evaluation - for comparing quantitative, cost and other relative indicators that characterize food supplying in 2019 and 2020, finding confirmatory or negative relevant trends during the incomplete year 2021, graphical and tabular - for better visualization of quantitative indicators used in the article. Research results. The dissemination of anti-pandemic measures in the world and in Ukraine is considered, the growth of absolute and relative food expenditures in different regions of the world is shown, quantitative data on undernourished people in some parts of the world are given, the situation with agri-food imports to Ukraine and its influence in 2020-2021 on the domestic market is determined, price indices for food in the world according to FAO and Ukraine according to state statistics, including quantitative consumption, are described, showed summary estimations for production major groups of crop and livestock products until 2030 inclusive. Scientific novelty. The difference in indicators of agri-food trade, food expenditures, number of people suffering from hunger, as well as price indices for basic food products in the world in general and in Ukraine in particular between "pre-pandemic" 2019 and 2020-2021, which are characterized by significant spread of the pandemic. Practical significance. The provisions of the article are aimed at informing Ukrainian agricultural enterprises with foreign economic profile, consumers of products and government agencies about changes in domestic and foreign agricultural markets in order to develop a common strategy and tactics of possible actions and systematical measures to prevent negative consequences due to significant increase in uncertainties over the past period. Tabl.: 2. Figs.: 2. Refs.: 17.