@article{Adamowicz:172062,
      recid = {172062},
      author = {Adamowicz, Mieczyslaw},
      title = {Grain Production and Food Security in Arab Countries},
      journal = {Agricultural Economics: The Journal of the International  Association of Agricultural Economists},
      address = {1988-06},
      number = {968-2016-75810},
      pages = {18},
      year = {1988},
      abstract = {Grains are the most important group of products in the  food security programs of the Arab
countries. These  countries suffer from a shortage of food in general and in  particular a shortage of
grains. This results from a  rapidly growing population and growing disposable  incomes.
This paper describes the grain sector in the  economy of the Arab countries with special attention
to its  role in the national and regional food security programs.  First, output and consumption
of grains between 1973 and  1984 are analysed in all Arab countries, with special  attention to wheat.
Second, the concept of food security is  discussed. Food security is defined as continuity of  food
supply to the whole population and unhampered access  to food by all groups of the population.
Food security is  considered principally as a problem of short-term  variability of food production
and instability of imports.  Food insecurity is thus measured by the size of production  and consumption
variability in relation to the long-term  levels of consumption and production. The  standard
deviation and the coefficient of variation are  used as indicators of the variability.
Last, strategies and  policies for achievement of food security are discussed.  The growing food
supply gap in the Arab countries implies  the need to increase grain production as an element  of
major importance in the development of food -security  programs. Proper grain policies must foresee
increases of  yields, reduction of post-harvest losses, and increased  capacity to handle and store
grain reserves. The  establishment of national and regional Arab strategic grain  stocks equal to the
average magnitude of harvest shortfalls  is recommended as one measure of short-term strategy.
The  long-term strategy, in turn, focuses on development of  domestic agricultural production and
greater cooperation  among the Arab countries.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/172062},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.172062},
}