The United Nations statistics estimate the global population will reach 8.6 billion by 2030, which puts the agriculture and food and beverage (F&B) industries under tremendous pressure to improve yield and boost productivity. Food security is high on the global agenda of major nations, including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. The food security concept has diversified in the past five years to encompass improvements in productivity and food access to achieve food self-sufficiency. Attaining food security is not an easy task, as it involves ensuring uninterrupted access to safe and nutritious food. While GCC countries can be considered food secure, their continued dependence on food imports to meet consumption requirements remains a critical issue that needs to be solved to realize food self-sufficiency.

The revival of the tourism sector post-COVID-19, a shift in consumer preferences for healthier options and diverse food choices, population growth, the rise of food services and retailers offering global cuisines, and economic stability are factors influencing food consumption patterns. With geopolitical concerns exacerbating supply chain inconsistencies and making it challenging to ensure price parity, GCC countries need to focus on self-sufficiency and domestic supply to mitigate the potential impact of supplydemand imbalances and pricing inconsistencies.

Attaining self-sufficiency is the prevalent focus of GCC governments’ national food programs and strategies. Programs such as the United Arab Emirates’s (UAE) National Strategy for Food Security seek to develop sustainable local food production, invest in agriculture activities in other regions, ensure price parity, forge bilateral and multilateral agreements, revamp local food production systems, and ensure the adoption of a multifaceted strategy. On its part, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia engages in expanding support programs for agricultural activities with an added focus on urban farming and organic production

COP 28 Declaration – A Game Changer for Food Systems Transformation Globally?

In 2023, the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) signaled the beginning of an era of transformation of food systems, laying the ground for a swift, just, and equitable transition. COP28 saw participation of 154 Heads of States and Government.

The COP28 Food Systems Agenda’s core components include addressing global emissions and safeguarding the lives and livelihoods of farmers directly impacted by climate change. In addition to using more than 70% of freshwater worldwide and contributing 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, food production and consumption practices also account for 80% of deforestation and habitat loss in tropical regions. A total of 134 nations, representing 5.7 billion people, signed the Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action, committing to adapting and transforming food systems, including food and land use targets in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) by 2025, helping to reduce emissions from farming and agribusiness in their national climate change policies. A consortium of over 25 preeminent food and agriculture organizations is collaborating to expand regenerative agriculture, working with 3.6 million farmers to expedite the conversion of more than 160 million hectares to preserve soil health and mitigate carbon emissions. Some noteworthy commitments are as follows:

• The UAE and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation established a $200 million partnership for Food Systems, Agriculture Innovation, and Climate Action.
• To combat deforestation and advance climate-smart agriculture, the Bezos Earth Fund, provided $57 million in grants, for food-related projects.
• More than 25 global companies are teaming up to advance regenerative agriculture practices by 2030. The participating companies, with a combined revenue of $2.1 trillion, include major regional players such as Majid Al Futtaim and Olam Agri, as well as some of the top global food and agriculture multinationals, including Bayer, Cargill, PepsiCo, Louis Dreyfus Company, Nestle, and Tyson Foods.
• Top six global dairy majors (Danone, Nestle, BEL Group, General Mills, The Kraft Heinz Company, and Lactalis USA) globally have joined forces with the Environmental Defense Fund to support dairy farmers in lowering methane emissions and promoting more sustainable farming practices.

Author Frost & Sullivan

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