Section V: Section V: Water Resources

Title: Virtual water as a policy for ensuring food security: the case of the MENA region

Author(s): Ghada Aly Elhfnawy

Address: Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, Geiza, Egypt

Reference: Science,Technology and Sustainability in the Middle East and North Africa pp. 259 - 275

Abstract/Summary: Food security and environmental health are the rationale for encouraging virtual water trade as a water policy instrument. The Middle East and North Africa MENA region is the most water short region in the world. Since agriculture consumes by far the largest percentage of water, most of these countries will have to take and rely on increased food imports to meet their needs. Within the food security context, there is an urgent need to assess how the growing food deficit can be met under water constraints and what role virtual water can play in narrowing the gap The aim of this paper is to examine the virtual water controversy and its importance in the food security debate, to show the limitations as well as the potentials of the proposed solutions. The analysis shows that including virtual water as a policy option requires thorough understanding of the impacts and interaction of virtual water trade on the local social, economic, environmental and cultural situation in a country context.

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