arab environment •7 - FooD SeCUritY - Challenges and Prospects

To be effective it requires an approach based on the harmonization of national agricultural strategies and policies; more investment in science and technology and agricultural development; regulations, measures and incentives conducive to the efficient use of resources; and the conservation of the productive bio-capacity of land and water resources which constitute the cornerstone for food product. [...] The productivity of the livestock sector in the Arab region is hampered by the scarcity of natural resources, in particular degradation of rangelands and insufficient sources of feed and water. [...] Thus, the average cost of food improved irrigation and high-yielding varieties, imports increased from about US$288 per ton in coupled with the use of chemical fertilizers 2005 to about US$525.4 per ton in 2011, and and pesticides boosted cereal yield and saved that of cereals rose from an average of US$183 in the plight of millions of people in Asia from 2005 to US$375 per ton in 2011. [...] In order to increase the return to sewer rate budget could be made up of the desalinated water we we would need to rethink the volume of desalinated water generate today, the available recycled water and the volume of allocated to irrigation as part of the trade-off discussion. [...] the amount of surplus and deficit in domestic Special measures should be taken in order to create the consumption, and the development of self- strategic stock from imports and agricultural investments sufficiency’s percentage for the most important 32 Chapter 1 the State oF FooD SeCUritY anD agriCUltUral reSoUrCeS agricultural commodities between 1990 and 12- Studying the prospects of developing.