Food Security in the Mediterranean : a major geostrategic issue
Food security is tied to the right of every individual to get access to “quantitatively and qualitatively adequate and sufficient food corresponding to the local cultural traditions, and which ensures a physical and mental, individual and collective fulfilling and dignified life free of fear”. However, in theMediterranean, food insecurity is increasingly prevalent with a high risk of worsening in the next twenty years. While the food production deficit in this region is very worrisome, in the medium and long term, concerns about the increased health risks must be taken seriously by political leaders in Europe and the
Mediterranean. Strategies to restore amandatory level of food security exist and can be deployed as part of binding but stimulating sustainable development policies.
They require the strengthening of agricultural and food trade and the increase of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in all the sectors involved. Whatever be the solutions, food security should be considered as a top priority for politicians in the Euro-Mediterranean region.
Authors :
Jean-Louis Rastoin is an agroengineer, Doctor in Economics and holds an aggrega tion of Management Science. He teaches Economy and Management at Montpellier SupAgro. Founder and Director of the Shared Research Unit Ciheam/Cirad/Inra/IRD/Montpellier, he was advisor to the Ministry of Agriculture in Brazil and also in charge of Planning at Renault Agriculture SA. He presided during 6 years over the International Association of Food and Agro Industry Economy (AIEA2). He is a national correspondent of the Agriculture Academy of France. To be published cosigned with G.Ghersi, Le système alimentaire mondial : concepts, méthodes et dynamiques, Ed. Quae, Paris. Foued Cheriet is a research engineer at Inra in Montpellier, Doctor in Management sciences (Montpellier SupAgro). His research is concentrated on the food and agro industry sector in the Mediterranean oriented on strategic management of relations among organizations, asymmetric alliances control, strategies of multinationals and foreign direct investment. He published many contributions on the instability of strategic alliances and investment in the food and agro industry sector in the Mediterranean.
SOMMAIRE
- FOOD SECURITY: A DIAGNOSIS
- Massive imports
- Increasing pathological risks
- STRATEGIES TO PROMOTE FOOD SECURITY
- Adjust imbalances between supply and demand
- Restructuring food channels
- Strengthen trade in agricultural products and food industry
- The great potential of FDIs
- A badly needed inter-company cooperation
- CONCLUSION: A PRIORITY POLICY FOR ACTION
