Public Health Aspect of Food Insecurity in Middle East

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Abstract

There are several reasons why a country faces numerous problems that are directly or indirectly related to its existing food stocks. While there are several nations that are considered a storehouse for food items as not only do they produce a relatively vast stockpile of food grains, they also manage to have the benefit of owning extensive amounts of cultivable land under their domain, there are other member nations which do not seem to have the required natural resources in order to conduct substantial agricultural activities. Taking cue from the above statement, it would not be incorrect to state that countries such as India, the United States and Brazil, have vast cultivable lands under their personal domain whereas other countries such as Kuwait, Iraq and Dubai, are completely dependent on other countries to fulfill their overall supply for food and grains. In this paper, we would be discussing various issues that have been responsible for causing food insecurity in Kuwait. Considered as ‘the haven for oil’, Kuwait was, at one point in life, considered as the Mecca for producing large quantities of natural crude oil. After the invasion of Iraq, the entire scenario changed and the country, which was once considered the Mecca for oil, had to strive in a bid to make its ends meet in the simplest of manners, especially in terms of food security.

Introduction

Kuwait is battling record inflation in the recent past and an attempt has been made from concerned authorities to try and resolve the problem. According to the most recent published figures, Kuwait recorded a record inflation figure of 10.1% in the month of February. Owing to the sudden rise in inflation, the lawmakers of Kuwait have expressed their disrespect towards the existing policies. In order to end the row with the parliament members, the emir of Kuwait dissolved the assembly earlier this year. According to the latest reports, families in Kuwait have to suffer owing to the excessively high prices and relatively low income. According to the Al-Watan newspaper, the Kuwaiti government has decided to provide subsidies on a few major food products in a bid to counter the effects of food shortages. Of the 100 products in the list, cheese, milk, fish, eggs and baby foods are considered to be on top of their agenda. By the year end, the overall inflation rate is expected to touch 9%. The world’s leading oil exporting nation suffered terrible consequences due to the war and it is now in a dilemma to boosts its own food security crisis. Kuwait exports most of its food from Thailand, India and Brazil. The only reason why Kuwait can manage to scrape through is because it does not have a relatively small population of 3.3 million to feed. Nonetheless, owing to the war, the lack of cultivable land, the civilization and the oil dependent economy, Kuwait was forced into a relatively tight spot in terms of food security (Laessing, 2008).

War in Kuwait

Problem started when Saddam Hussein invaded Iraq in a bid to take control of the oil reserves. The small nation was crushed and its people traumatized. Many oil wells were destroyed and the small country was completely devastated (George 2009). The repercussions of the war were terrible and it completely shattered the economy. People of Kuwait were subjected to unspeakable atrocities and even small children were not spared of their wrath. Although the war is long over, the adverse effects of the war on the economy can be felt even now (Jane 2009). The war in Kuwait shattered a seemingly booming economy, which mainly thrived on its vast oil reserves. There was a time wherein Kuwait was considered to be a self sufficient economy, which enjoyed all the privileges that could have been attributed with oil. During the course of the war, Kuwaiti oil fields were burnt and this led to the devastation of the entire economy (Micheal 2006). Owing to the mass destruction of Kuwait’s only known source of income, a country, which imported most of its food items, faced a major crisis in terms of procuring essential food products from the neighboring countries (Yousaf, 2006).

Lack of Cultivation in Kuwait

The surface of the earth is divided unevenly. There are regions wherein the soil and water is conducive to agriculture, whereas, there are areas wherein the soil is not at all suitable for agricultural purposes. If the soil is drained and irrigated, plants can be easily grown and vice versa. Kuwait is an arid land and it does not have adequate water resources.

Even the soil found in Kuwait is not considered efficient for agricultural cultivation. The average rainfall in a year does not exceed 115 mm and the temperatures in the summer months are supposed to be very high. They are often accompanied by sandstorms (Suleiman2003). This is one of the reasons why Kuwait cannot be considered as an agriculturally viable nation. The ground water levels in Kuwait are also supposed to be fairly low and owing to this very reason, agricultural activities cannot be carried out with ease. Even the soils found in Kuwait are not sufficient to retain adequate water content and hence, agricultural activities are very rare. This has led Kuwait to import food items from other countries (Abdal and Suleiman 2002).

Illiteracy in Kuwait

Kuwait is not a very well educated country. There are relatively fewer literacy centers and people often do not prefer that their women should attain a higher degree. Owing to this very reason, it has often been noticed that the level of literacy has a major role to play in deciding the food insecurity crisis in Kuwait. Measures are now being taken to improve the level of literacy and this in turn would hopefully improve the mindset of the people living in Kuwait. The end result would be a far advanced nation with zeal to attain higher education. The changed mindset would force people living in Kuwait to understand the dilemma of food security in a better way. The problem would soon be driven away (El-Sayed 1967).

Economy in Kuwait

Almost $12 billion dollars were spent in developing armed forces of Kuwait after the war. Nonetheless, the people of Kuwait still believe that the nation is not strong enough to defend itself against the more powerful nations like Iraq (Andrew 2000).

During the Iraqi invasion, almost 700 oil wells were gutted. This shattered the economy. With time, everything has healed. Over one third of the budget is spent on defense and the people have once again regained their lost riches. Although food insecurity is still prevalent, the economy has boomed during the past decade. It is now considered as one of the richest countries in the world and has a GDP of $43.7 billion. While petroleum is the biggest industry so far, other booming areas include fertilizers, desalination plants, cement, textiles and petrochemicals. According to Kuwait CIA world Fact book (2008), the per capita income of Kuwait is also amongst the highest in the world. Nonetheless, the problem of food has always been considered as the biggest hurdle in the Kuwaiti economy. As the land and water in Kuwait is not conducive for agricultural pursuits, it becomes all the more important to realize that the country cannot produce food on its own accord. Hence, it needs to import food from other countries. This is when the booming economy needs to take control of the entire situation and allow the citizens of Kuwait to purchase essential food items at a subsidized rate. Owing to the sudden increase in population an the influx of migrant workers from countries such as India and the Philippines, the work pressure on food grains has doubled and this in turn has forced Kuwait to import more food from the western nations. Special population groups that have put immense pressure on Kuwait, in relation with food insecurity, are the immigrants from Asian countries. Nonetheless, with the changing laws, the overall scenario is now changing for the better and the ongoing food security issues are being resolved at a fast pace (Andrew 2000).

Identification of Population Groups

Population groups that seem to have been adversely affected by the food security crisis include immigrants as well as people who have come to Kuwait on temporary work permit visas. People from Asian countries and neighboring states have been considered the most affected by the problem of acute food shortage in Kuwait. Indians, Taiwanese and Pilipino individuals have been known to suffer from acute shortage of food. The reason is fairly simple. People from India and China, migrated to earn a better life in Kuwait. While the residents manage to earn a substantial amount of income through their vast oil reserves, immigrant workers need to rely on their meager salaries alone. While the food is fairly expensive as it is mainly imported, people who are dependent on their salaries need to suffer the brunt of the food security.

A Social Determinant

Kuwait has been solely dependent on its vast oil reserves. Before Iraq invaded Kuwait and destroyed almost 700 oil wells, the economy was perfect and contusive for earning large amounts of wealth. After the invasion, the economy changed for the worse and soon, people had to face the brunt of acute food securities. Once again, the concept of immigration and the unavailability of cultivable land seemed to be the most appropriate reason for the lack of food supplies. While the population of Kuwait nearly doubled after the Iraqi invasion, the production of food remained almost the same. The disparity caused acute food shortages, which in turn resulted in mass food imports from neighboring nations. This resulted in a steep increment in the price of essential food items and once again, the blame was attributed towards the immigrant population. The locals insist that workers from neighboring countries use up the scant food reserves for their own consumptions (Mutairi and Omar, 2007).

Future Prospects

According to Oxford Business group (2008), the future of Kuwait lies in the hands of its future generations. It has been noticed that people in Kuwait did not consider female education with high regards. With time and the war, things changed for the better and now young children are being educated with zeal. Food security tends to have direct links with the water supply as well. Kuwait at present generates 60m liters of water a day, so as to supply 30 liters of water to each family on a daily basis. If Kuwait needs to meet the yearly water demand, it has been estimated that almost 18b liters of reservoir space needs to be allocated in the near future. If the water supply is met, the land in Kuwait can be utilized for agricultural pursuits as well. This would certainly reduce the ongoing food security crisis in the near future.

Conclusion

According to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States, Kuwait has been a consistent source of inspiration for countries who cannot hope to self-sustain the need for petroleum on a regular basis. The reason why Kuwait has been suffering from the problem of food security is because its population has grown to almost 3.3 million individuals. While the total percentage of the undernourished has gone down substantially, the consumption of dietary proteins, fat and calories has increased drastically. The average rate of food and population growth has also led to the increased pressure on food imports. The food production index numbers have also risen substantially, thereby placing a lot of pressure on the overall food imports in Kuwait. While the problem of food security seems to have grown four folds, the situation is all set to improve. Owing to the implementation of subsidies on major food items, the chances are that Kuwait would soon be able to take care of its food shortages and emerge victorious in all contexts (Amthor 2006).

Bibliography

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