World BankFAOIFAD2016-03-292016-03-292009https://hdl.handle.net/10986/23966This joint working paper lays out a rationale and strategic framework for improving food security and managing food-price shocks in the Arab countries. The paper does not provide country specific policy and project recommendations. Such recommendations will follow from the country by country application of the framework, taking into account each country's political and cultural preferences, resource endowments, and risk tolerance. In 2007 and the first half of 2008, a sharp rise in agricultural commodity and food prices triggered grave concerns about food security, malnutrition and increased poverty throughout the world. While the threat of a prolonged food-price shock receded with falling energy and commodity prices and a weakening global economy in the second half of 2008, many factors underlying the volatility in food prices appear here to stay and will require careful management if the world is to avoid future food-price shocks. This paper suggests three critical strategies that, together, can serve as pillars to help offset future vulnerability to price shocks: a) strengthen safety nets, provide people with better access to family planning services, and promote education; b) enhance the food supply provided by domestic agriculture and improve rural livelihoods by addressing lagging productivity growth through increased investment in research and development; and c) reduce exposure to market volatility by improving supply chain efficiency and by more effectively using financial instruments to hedge risk.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOADMINISTRATIVE COSTSAGRICULTURAL COMMODITIESAGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENTAGRICULTURAL GROWTHAGRICULTURAL INPUTSAGRICULTURAL LANDAGRICULTURAL PRICESAGRICULTURAL PRODUCEAGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIONAGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITYAGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY GROWTHAGRICULTURAL RESEARCHAGRICULTUREANIMAL FEEDARBITRAGEAUCTIONAVERAGE RATES OF RETURNBREADCALORIE INTAKECASH TRANSFERSCEREAL IMPORTSCEREAL PRICECEREAL PRICESCEREAL PRODUCTIONCEREAL YIELDCEREALSCHEAPER FOODCLEAN WATERCLIMATE CHANGECOMMODITIESCOMMODITYCOMMODITY EXPORTSCOMMODITY PRICECOMMODITY PRICESCONSUMERCONSUMER DEMANDCONSUMER PRICECONSUMER PRICE INDEXCONSUMER PRICESCOOKINGCOST OF LIVINGCROP PRODUCTIONCROP YIELDCROPLANDCURRENCYDEBTDEMAND FOR FOODDEMAND MANAGEMENTDEMOGRAPHICDEVELOPING COUNTRIESDROUGHTDROUGHTSECONOMIC CRISISECONOMIC DOWNTURNECONOMIC GROWTHEDUCATION PROGRAMSEMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIESENERGY SUBSIDIESEXPENDITURESEXPOSUREEXTREME POVERTYFAMILY PLANNINGFARM-GATEFARMERSFEEDING PROGRAMSFINANCIAL CRISISFINANCIAL INSTRUMENTSFISCAL DEFICITSFISCAL SURPLUSESFLOURFOOD ACCESSFOOD AIDFOOD AVAILABILITYFOOD COMMODITIESFOOD CONSUMPTIONFOOD DEMANDFOOD DISTRIBUTIONFOOD FOR WORKFOOD FORTIFICATIONFOOD GRAINSFOOD IMPORTSFOOD INSECURITYFOOD MARKETSFOOD POLICYFOOD POLICY RESEARCHFOOD PREFERENCESFOOD PRICEFOOD PRICESFOOD PRODUCTIONFOOD SECURITYFOOD STAMPSFOOD STAPLESFOOD SUBSIDIESFOOD SUBSIDYFOOD SUBSIDY PROGRAMSFOOD SUPPLYFOODGRAINSFOODSFOREIGN CAPITALFOREIGN EXCHANGEFOREIGN INVESTMENTFRAUDFUTURE PRICEFUTURESGLOBAL CLIMATEGLOBAL ECONOMYGLOBAL MARKETGOVERNMENT BUDGETSGRAINSGROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCTGROWTH RATEGROWTH RATESHEALTH INSURANCEHOUSEHOLD FOOD SECURITYHUMAN CAPITALIFPRIIMPACT ON POVERTYINADEQUATE FOODINCIDENCE OF POVERTYINCOMEINCOME GROWTHINCOME ON FOODINCOMESINFLATIONINFLATIONARY PRESSUREINPUT PRICESINSURANCEINTEREST RATESINTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTEINTERNATIONAL MARKETSINTERNATIONAL PRICESINVESTINGINVESTMENT OPTIONSIRRIGATIONKIND OF INVESTMENTLAMBLIQUIDITYLOW INTEREST RATESMACROECONOMIC STABILITYMAIZEMALNUTRITIONMARKET EXPECTATIONSMARKET PRICESMARKET PROJECTIONSMARKET VOLATILITYMARKETINGMEALMEANS TESTINGMEATMEDICAL CAREMONETARY POLICIESNATIONAL POVERTYNATIONAL POVERTY LINENATURAL RESOURCENATURAL RESOURCESNUTRITIONNUTRITION INTERVENTIONSPAYMENT MECHANISMSPAYMENT SYSTEMSPENSIONSPETROLEUM PRICEPETROLEUM PRICESPOLITICAL CONSIDERATIONSPOLITICAL RISKSPOORPOOR COUNTRIESPOOR FAMILIESPOOR HOUSEHOLDSPOOR PEOPLEPOOR RURAL PEOPLEPOTENTIAL INVESTMENTSPOVERTY DATAPOVERTY RATESPOVERTY REDUCTIONPRICE CONTROLSPRICE INCREASESPRICE RISKPRICE SUBSIDIESPRICE SUPPORTSPROBABILITYPRODUCER PRICESPRODUCTION OF WHEATPURCHASINGPURCHASING POWERRAPID EXPANSIONREAL ASSETSRECESSIONRETAILRETAIL PRICERETAIL PRICESRICERISK MANAGEMENTRISK TOLERANCERURALRURAL AREASRURAL COMMUNITIESRURAL FAMILIESRURAL LIVELIHOODSRURAL POORRURAL POVERTYSAFETY NETSAFETY NETSSANITATIONSCHOOL FEEDINGSECURITY CONCERNSSECURITY RISKSSELF-SUFFICIENCYSMART CARDSOCIAL ASSISTANCESOCIAL FUNDSOCIAL PROTECTIONSOCIAL SAFETY NETSSTAPLE FOODSSTOCKSSTRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENTSUBSTITUTESSUBSTITUTIONSUGARSUGARCANESUPPLY CHAINSURPLUSSURPLUSESTARGETINGTAXTECHNOLOGICAL CHANGETECHNOLOGY TRANSFERTRADE DEFICITSTRADITIONAL INVESTMENTSTRANSFER PROGRAMSUNEMPLOYMENTURBANIZATIONVALUABLEVITAMINSWFPWHEATWHEAT FLOURWHOLESALERSWORLD FOOD PROGRAMWORLD FOOD PROGRAMMEWORLD FOOD SUMMITWORLD MARKETSReportWorld Bank10.1596/23966