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Food and the Arab Awakening

DSC_0037 The capacity to produce sufficient and healthy food to feed its population has become a central issue in most of the middle and low income nations. Food insecurity and poverty go together in most cases. The poor are also the vulnerable. In a study conducted in the highlands of Ethiopia, it was found that the variables (such as education level, age, etc) that play a significant factor in leading to poverty where different from those affecting vulnerability. Nevertheless, the most vulnerable are those caught in the vicious circle of poverty. It was inferred from a research conducted in Tajikistan that the heterogeneity of the effect of food crisis across different household segments (like rural, urban etc) needs to be considered at policy level to create solutions that truly have an impact. Agricultural Development – The Poverty Exit Strategy Sir Gordon Conway in his key note speech in Tropentag 2011 stated the solution to reduce global poverty is investment in agriculture. There are around 500 million small holder farmers with less than two hectares of land, with around 80% concentrated in Africa. Though many farmers have off-farm employment, agriculture is their main source of income. Can a farmer survive with just two hectares of land where weeds, insects, pests and many aspects of nature make harvest uncertain? It curbs him from investing in his future as his current income is insecure. Making agricultural income certain has the possibility to provide the farmer with options to develop his future. The Arab Challenge The Arab world has moved from taking pride in its historical sites to the challenges it faces in terms of unemployment, social inequalities and food insecurity. Though developing agriculture may reduce global poverty, this may not be an optimum solution for nations where agriculture does not employ majority of its labor. There is also a need to have country specific growth strategies. The core competency of the country should not be forgotten. In countries where exports have been its traditional strength, perhaps an export led manufacture growth could be a solution Food Morality Food ethics has become a much discussed issue in the student community. In a student conference it was decided to advocate food ethics as part of the University Curriculum. The interest in where the food we eat comes from has grown, especially among the young and vibrant minds. There is a concern with regard to the quality of food. The debate has moved from food security to nutrition security.

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