Over the years, food security has been detrimentally impacted by a myriad of factors, including climate change, conflict, drought, and insects, but the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated hunger problems and erased countries’ years of gains. By hindering transportation, it has disrupted supply chains, leaving many without work and an income and increasing food prices dramatically. The prices of wheat and maize, for example, have increased by 40 percent and 66 percent, respectively, since January 2020. Consequently, many countries in Asia and the Middle East are experiencing significant food insecurity that could last into 2022.
In response to this crisis, private companies and governments have been increasing funding for, among other things, programs like Afghanistan’s National Horticulture and Livestock Project (NHLP) that promote self-sufficiency by supporting various agricultural and horticultural practices. What follows are some of the efforts being undertaken to stabilize the food chain.
The World Bank Response
Throughout the pandemic, the World Bank has been tracking not only agricultural chains and domestic food supplies, but also the impact of job status on people’s ability to buy food. When needed, it also intervenes to help food chains function. Between April and September of 2020, for example, it provided more than $5 billion in new commitments to food security, including financing for ongoing projects, through its International Development Association.
In one case, efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Afghanistan prevented many farmers from sowing their crops in a timely manner. Urban areas also suffered, as increasing food prices were coupled with a diminished food supply. In response, the World Bank has provided a $100 million grant to the Emergency Agriculture and Food Supply Project, which has thus far distributed more than 11,000 metric of certified wheat seeds to more than 230,000 farmers throughout Afghanistan as a step to increasing food security in the region.
Other World Bank-backed projects include the establishment of a $96 million emergency action plan in Bangladesh to provide cash transfers to more than 400,000 dairy and poultry farmers. The money also helped finance farm equipment, personal protection equipment, and 64 mobile veterinary clinics. The World Bank also co-financed the National Rural Livelihood Mission in India, which worked with self-help groups to operate community kitchens, alleviate shortages of masks and hand sanitizer, and distribute food to at-risk families. The support also provided COVID-19 advisors and finance services in rural areas.
Agritech Surge
While the pandemic has negatively impacted food supply in Asia and the Middle East, it has created a need for innovation in food production and supply-related industries. Several agritech companies have stepped up, offering cutting-edge solutions to address food chain issues. In some cases, private companies are working with government entities to promote and implement these new agricultural technologies, ideas, and strategies. Here are a few of the projects leading the way in agritech development, some of which have been funded by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), which has invested $41 million in agritech partnerships in the region.
– Pure Harvest: This company uses Dutch technology to grow vine vegetable crops. Sky Kurtz, a cofounder and the CEO of Pure Harvest, recently stated at a roundtable discussion about agritech that he believes the Middle East has the resources to create food at a low cost because the region is rich in sunlight, land, water, carbon dioxide, and other resources needed to grow food. He added that if the region can focus on addressing climate- and source capital-related issues and work with local governments and the private sector that “there is an opportunity for MENA to be the cheapest food producer in the world.”
– StarLab Space Farming Center: In November, ADIO announced a partnership with Nanoracks, the largest commercial user of the International Space Station. The entities will work together to use space-based AgTech to create innovative programs to boost farmers’ growing capacities in desert regions. One of its first projects will be the StarLab Space Farming Center in Abu Dhabi, a research center that will focus on learning more about how organisms and food can be produced in the extreme weather conditions of space.
– HASSAD: Jordan’s first agritech accelerator was launched in May 2019 to encourage innovators working on addressing agricultural issues with technology. HASSAD’s goal is to jumpstart agritech development in Jordan by turning ideas into businesses that can contribute to the country’s economic development and agricultural sector growth. The accelerator focuses on small and medium-sized businesses.
– HUGROW: Believing that people have the power to change the course of our “dwindling resources,” this Hebrew University program has already produced innovations with real-world applications. Known for its innovative graduates and researchers, Hebrew University’s HUGROW focuses on supporting early-stage research that shows promise for commercial use in agriculture. Some of HUGROW’s current projects include developing genetically modified plants that are resistant to herbicides, creating a bio-friendly crop protection agent against diseases that is affordable and better for the environment than copper-based pesticides.