CIHEAM Press Review

Turkey is rich in fertile land, water and skilled farmers. But its agricultural industry is in sharp decline, blamed by critics on failing government policies, spiralling costs and meagre state support.

A devaluing local currency coupled with the scarcity of hard currencies has made production more expensive. Producers are turning to exports as a solution.

Lebanese olive oil pro­duc­tion is expected to reach 26,000 tons in the 2020/21 crop year, accord­ing to the lat­est data from the International Olive Council.
While this fig­ure is not too much higher than the rolling five-year aver­age (23,500 tons), a shift is begin­ning to take place in the sec­tor.

The number of Syrians who lack access to sufficient food has reached a record 12.4 million, or nearly 60 per cent of the population, the World Food Programme (WFP) reported on Wednesday, citing “alarming” new national data.  Economic crisis, job losses stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, and soaring food prices have added to the plight […]

ANKARA — Twenty-five-year-old Fatih, a graduate of economics from Istanbul’s Marmara University, remains jobless despite his degree from the respected college and several internships at corporate businesses during his studies. Like hundreds of thousands of other university graduates in Turkey, he is grappling with an uncertain future in a country mired in economic turmoil, which the COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened.

Gender inequality and few opportunities for migrant workers mean that farmers are starting to look alike: old. These groups have ideas for how to reverse that.

Syria’s food security issues seem set to continue this year, as the government warns that the country will need to import up to 200,000 tonnes of wheat each month to make up for domestic shortfalls. According to Mohammad Samer al-Khalil, the Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade, the imports are likely to cost around US$400 million ($565 million). Syria’s economy has weakened in recent months, following the economic crisis in neighbouring Lebanon. The crisis has had serious economic consequences for Damascus, which was already struggling after years of civil war. Concerns over government procurement of wheat also grew earlier this year when Kurdish wheat growers increased purchasing prices, directly competing with the government in Damascus.

An Olive Oil Times survey reveals a season of growing uncertainties and challenges for olive oil producers.

It is an indus­try known for its hard­ships. But even the resilient olive tree and the stal­wart farm­ers used to the ever-chang­ing cir­cum­stances of nature are bend­ing under the stresses of the 2020 har­vest now under­way in the Northern Hemisphere.

The latest monthly agri-food trade report shows that between January and May 2020, the total value of EU-27 agri-food exports rose by 2% compared to the same period in 2019, reaching €75.8 billion, while the value of imports increased to €52.7bn (a rise of nearly 1%). However the monthly values of EU-27 exports and imports […]

The COVID-19 pandemic had brought new appreciation for the pivotal role that South Africa’s agriculture sector plays in the provision of healthy, sufficient and affordable food, according to Derek Mathews, chairperson of Grain SA.

The per­sis­tent novel coro­n­avirus has cast its shadow on the upcom­ing har­vest­ing sea­son in Greece, spread­ing anx­i­ety among grow­ers and pro­duc­ers.
Apart from shak­ing up the agri­cul­tural sec­tor of the coun­try, the pan­demic has brought along travel restric­tions and local quar­an­tines, threat­en­ing the avail­abil­ity of for­eign work­ers at har­vest time.

Household expenses witnessed a new shift as the coronavirus pandemic, which has had a varied impact on the economy, changed consumer habits in Turkey, according to statistics. Last year, money spent on services like education and tourism decreased, while people spent more on appliances and food, according to Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) data. Still, expenses continued increasing and exceeded TL 2.9 trillion ($396 billion), a 10% rise.

MEDITERRANEAN. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) lists forty-five countries that will need external food aid in 2021. Three of them are in the Mediterranean. 

From charitable efforts to reversing desertification, olive trees and olive oil continue to play a fundamental role in Greek society.

Harvest chal­lenges, prices and inter­na­tional and domes­tic mar­kets tend to be the pre­vail­ing con­cerns in the Greek olive oil sec­tor.
However, there are plenty of other ways the olive tree plays a role in Greek soci­ety, out­side of busi­ness bound­aries.
In Crete, the ben­e­fi­cia­ries of the Heraklion social ser­vices pro­gram received free olive oil through a local gro­cery store.

An increase in food prices following the coronavirus pandemic has intensified concerns related to global food security. For emerging markets, this has further underlined the importance of regional cooperation and innovative solutions to help overcome the challenges.

Global fisheries and aquaculture have been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and could face further disruption in 2021 as lockdowns affect supply and demand across the sector, according to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

SULTAN YAQOUB, Western Bekaa — In a shed on Najib Fares’ farm in the Western Bekaa, next to a broken-down tractor, sacks of unsold wheat from June’s harvest are piled up on pallets, a visible reminder of the collapse of some of the key systems set up to support local farmers and maintain the country’s food security.

PREZODE, an initiative to prevent emerging zoonotic risks and pandemics, was announced on the occasion of the One Planet Summit for biodiversity held on 11 January. Initiated by three French research institutes – INRAE, CIRAD and IRD – PREZODE already mobilised more than 1,000 researchers from 50 countries on 5 continents. 

The MED Report 2020, Navigating the Pandemic, provides analyses, policy recommendations and a vast array of data and infographics to stimulate discussion and inspire innovative ideas during the 6th edition of Rome MED Dialogues. Following MED’s four traditional thematic sections – shared security; shared prosperity; migration; civil society, culture and media –the Report focuses on a selection of topics that are crucial to the region, highlighting both the challenges and the dynamics taking shape in an area that has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. 

With food in short supply and prices rocketing, a wave of new farmers are growing produce on roofs, balconies and beyond.

Long before the Covid-19 pandemic and the devastating explosion in Beirut on 4 August, Lebanon was already deep in economic crisis. For many, farming is emerging as a solution.