Food Security: Challenges and Alternatives for GCC Countries

Running head: FOOD SECURITY 1
Food Security
Name
Institution Affiliation

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Definition.........................................................................................................................................3
Limitations of food miles.................................................................................................................4
Economical limitations....................................................................................................................4
Health limitations.............................................................................................................................5
Ethical limitations............................................................................................................................6
Alternatives to food security............................................................................................................6
Reflection on Food Security............................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
Food is the most important commodity for human survival; it is the main source of
energy that ensures humans have the strength to carry out various activities. For economical
sustainability, food security is very important assets that ensure GPD growth is achieved and
sustained. Climate change has greatly affected food security in some of the countries and
resulted in low production of agricultural inputs. This has rendered to those countries to highly
depend on imports from other countries for life sustainability. The Global corporation council
countries like Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, and South Arabia have major issues on food
security and the most hit by climate condition not conducive for food production (Wilson, 2017).
Most of the food consumption in these countries is imported from other sources since what is
produced locally can hardly sustain a livelihood (Ballingall &Winchester, 2010). There are major
challenges faced with imported food from its source to the consumer. This paper will discuss
food miles, limitation of food miles and effective measures of maintaining and managing food
security in these countries.
Definition
According to John and Linda Stanley (2015) definition, food mile as the distance between
where food is produced to where food is consumed. Food security is when people have enough,
nutritious food to maintain health and active life (Santorelli, Melissa, Okeke & Janice, 2017).
The Global corporation council is a political alliance and economically formed to create links
among its county members. The GCC countries are marked as having the highest rate of
population growth globally. This increase in population results in the increased rate of food
consumption in the GCC countries. The country rarely depends on local production since even

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what is locally produced depend much on imported products. It is estimated that food supply in
Kuwait almost equals the amount of food level supply in the United States, this is an indication
of high-level of the food supply in the GCC countries. Consumer expenditure is also high on
food which increases the rate of food consumption and supply in these countries. Food wasted in
these regions is also high, which is another challenge in food security. It is estimated that food
wasted is worth 3.54 billion which count both local and imported food.
Increase in tourism according to world tourism and travel council (WTTC), indicates that
tourism has increased and the number is increasing by the day. In 2013, the number of
international visitor’s arrivals was estimated to be 32.8 million. It is also projected that in 2020,
25 million visitors are expected to attend word expo in Dubai which include the largest number
of visitors. The expo is expected to increase the number of visitors in the region thus accelerating
the growth of hospitality industries in the regions. The rapid growth in tourism has increased the
growth of hospitality industries to $35.9 billion and has increased food consumption in the GCC
countries as we speak. These increase as continued to fuel food demand and waste generation
which is expensive for GCC to sustain (Palmer, 2016).
The food crisis is another factor that has led to GCC major concern to facilitate issues on
food security. The food venerability in 2008 led to increasing of fuel cost and lowering of grains
by exporting countries. This led to the increase in food prices in the Middle East due to low food
supplies which were as a result of sanction to food importation from exporting countries. The
volatility of food security has a great threat to the health and safety of Middle countries citizens.
This factor of increased population, climate change increased in international tourism has greatly
affected food importation.