introduction:
The Arab Organization for Agricultural Development issues this report annually. For its interest in following up and monitoring developments in the situation of Arab food security, in a way that enables it to stand on the various indicators and developments of food security. The issuance of the report comes in implementation of the decisions of its legislative bodies to inform the Excellencies the Ministers of Agriculture, Economy and Finance, and decision makers, makers and planners of agricultural policies and development programmes, And those interested in the Arab countries in the developments in the agricultural sector and the fisheries sector, and the factors affecting their performance. This report deals with the factors associated with achieving food security in the Arab world. which are the factors affecting the availability of food, and the possibility of obtaining it, stable supply, and the possibility of benefiting from it. The report provides a review of the situation of Arab food security during the period 2015-2020. Comprehensive developments in the four main areas of food security, Including developments in the production of food commodities, their foreign trade and their balances, food safety and indicators of undernutrition, rates of self-sufficiency and the food gap.
The report indicated that the conditions of Arab food security were affected in 2020 by the conditions imposed by the new Corona epidemic. Including what is related to the movement of foreign trade in food commodities, Including what is related to the direct effects of the pandemic on producers, Which was reflected in the inability of farmers to practice their agricultural activities effectively, In addition to the difficulties faced by producers in obtaining agricultural production inputs due to the cessation of work by the providers of these inputs, severe labor shortage, And the inability of farmers to get their products to market. The pandemic also caused a decrease in income due to the drop in oil prices and the lack of remittances. market crashes, and increase prices
local food.
Some Arab countries were affected by some unfavorable natural conditions that affected the food security situation during the years 2019 and 2020. Including cases of outbreaks of some insect pests, desert locusts, drought and lack of rainfall, which negatively affected plant and animal production, Hence the provision of food from plant and animal products in the affected countries.