The political economy of Arab food sovereignty / Jane Harrigan, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Harrigan, Jane, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Food sovereignty--Arab countries.

Food sovereignty.

Food security--Arab countries.

Food security.

Arab countries--Politics and government.

Arab countries.

Politics and government.

Political science.

Physical Description:

xvii, 264 pages : illustrations (black and white), maps (black and white) ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire : Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Summary:

Since 2007-08 the global economy has faced two global food price crises, placing the issue of food security firmly back on national and international agendas. in this thought-provoking and persuasively argued book, Jane Harrigan, Professor of Economics at SOAS, examines the impact of the food price hikes on the Arab region and illuminates the linkages between the food price crisis, the Arab spring, and the growing practice of foreign land acquisition. This book provides a political economy analysis of the history of food security in the Arab world, including the geopolitics of food and its use as a foreign policy tool by the Western world. It contains an in-depth examination of the role played by the global food crisis of 2007-11 as a trigger factor in the Arab Spring. the responses of the governments of the Arab states to these events are presented using the concept food sovereignty, defined by the author as power and control over food supplies in ways that often violate economic and market forces. the recent push for food sovereignty has involved both a new drive to increase domestic Arab food production and land acquisition overseas-the so-called land grab phenomenon. Both of these dynamics are analysed in depth from a political and an economic perspective, including a detailed study of Saudi Arabia. the Political Economy of Arab Food Sovereignty presents the first comprehensive study of the interplay between food politics and power in the Arab region, making it indispensable reading for all those interested in the political economy of the Arab world and food security. Book jacket.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1.Introduction

Background

The global food crisis

The Arab Spring and the new politics of food

Concepts and definitions

The region

Food security

Strategies and policies for food security

Chapter outline

2.The Food Security Status of Arab Countries

Some stylised facts

Measuring food security in the region

Predictions of the future Arab food gap and import dependency

3.The Evolution of Food Security Strategies in the Arab World

Before OPEC

OPEC, the geopolitics of food, and the widening Arab food gap: the 1970s and 1980s drive for food self-sufficiency

Neoliberalism and the Washington consensus: trade-based food security in the 1980s and 1990s

Post 2007: food sovereignty

From food self-sufficiency to overseas land acquisition: a case study of Saudi Arabia

Conclusion

4.Causes of the Global Food Crisis and Its Impact on the Arab World

Causes of the global food crisis

Contents note continued: The economic impact

Inflation

External accounts and reserves

Social impact

Overview of poverty in the Arab world

The impact of food price inflation on poverty and food security

Political impact: food prices and the Arab Spring

5.The Arab Response to the Global Food Crisis

Short-term responses: government measures to mitigate rising food prices

Longer-term responses: domestic production and overseas land acquisition

6.Land Acquisition Overseas

Land Grab or Win-Win?

The scale of overseas land acquisitions

Arab States and overseas land acquisitions

Host countries for Arab investors

Institutional arrangements in Arab states for acquiring land

The problematic nature of overseas land acquisition: land grab?

The potential for win-win

7.Policies for Arab Integration into Global Food Markets and Arab Domestic Agriculture

Better integration into global food markets

Contents note continued: A regional approach to food security

Domestic food production and improving agricultural productivity

The agricultural potential of Arab States

Water policies and agriculture

Liberalising agricultural trade

The potential of Sudan

Agriculture, poverty, and food security

8.Reforming Social Safety Nets

The use of social safety nets as a response to the global food crisis

The need to reform social safety net programmes in the Arab world

Reform of food and fuel subsidies

Direct transfers, public works schemes, and nutrition programmes

Emergency humanitarian relief

The Arab Spring and the potential for reform

Case study: Yemen's new food security strategy

9.Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781137339379

1137339373

OCLC:

876288091