6 May 2015: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) jointly organized a two-day event, titled ‘Private Sector Forum on Food Security in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Region,’ which sought to develop a sustainable approach to food production and trade in the region.

The forum, which took place from 5-6 May 2105 in Barcelona, Spain, discussed how local producers could be supported to create high-value, quality products, building on countries’ respective comparative advantage in food production. Panel discussions were organized on: resource-efficient technologies and practices in food production; agricultural trade and food security; private sector approaches to more inclusive value chains and agricultural policies; and enhancing quality standards for local consumers and export clients.

UfM Secretary-General Fathallah Sijilmassi, FAO Assistant Director-General Laurent Thomas and EBRD Vice-President Philippe Le Houérou co-chaired the meeting, which brought private-sector investors together with farmers and agribusiness enterprises.

Speakers noted the challenges of population growth in the region, water scarcity and increased dependence on imported wheat, sugar and vegetable oil. They highlighted issues of vulnerability to climate change, and under-investment in agriculture with insufficient private sector participation. They reported that imports of agricultural food products to the region have risen by US$69 billion, while exports increased by around US$31 billion.

The FAO highlighted the region’s comparative advantage in growing high-value crops such as olives, as well as other fruits and vegetables, and suggested higher export levels would help cushion the effects of potential global food-price inflation.

UfM Secretary-General Fathallah Sijilmassi said that agriculture could become part of the solution to the “burning issue” of youth employment in the region, generating jobs in rural areas.

In an opinion piece published at the close of the forum, EBRD senior officials Gilles Mettetal and Iride Ceccacci highlighted the history of the “Fertile Crescent” stretching from Egypt to Iraq, noting that population increase and water and land scarcity have led to dependence on imported products. They recalled that northern Mediterranean countries such as Italy, Portugal and Spain had applied research to improve agricultural production, and had developed structured food chains. They called for increased public-private partnerships toward similar approaches in the countries of the Southern Mediterranean, including Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. They also highlighted the EBRD’s investment of €300 million to support agribusiness in the region, and suggested that improving food safety and quality standards could pave the way for countries to increase food supply for their own populations, gain access to EU markets and increase exports to the Gulf Region and Eastern Europe. [FAO Press Release] [Forum Web Page] [Programme] [EBRD Opinion Piece] [EBRD Food Security Web Page]