Abstract
The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are considered food secure due to their ability to import sufficient food to meet their populations’ demand, despite considerable environmental limitations to conventional agriculture. However, over-reliance on externally produced food leaves these countries vulnerable to food shortages during crises that disrupt international production and shipping. Advanced Controlled Environment Agriculture technology has the potential to improve food self-sufficiency by multiplying vegetable crop yields while optimizing efficiency of agricultural inputs and minimizing land requirements. This paper demonstrates how approximately 15 km2 of indoor farms or less than 0.1 km2 of vertical farms could reduce or eliminate the need to import six important vegetable crops in the State of Kuwait. If properly contextualized and supported by clear legislation and well-managed regulatory bodies, indoor agriculture initiatives may provide a pathway for GCC countries to reduce their dependence on imported foods and increase resilience to food supply disruption during disasters or conflict. This case study contextualizes the need for improved food self-sufficiency in light of vulnerabilities from regional and global threats, illuminates unique challenges faced by GCC countries considering adoption of the proposed technologies, and summarizes opportunities inherent in the current legal and policy framework.
Highlights
These findings indicate that indoor farming and vertical farming merit serious consideration and study of the feasibility of investing in development and adoption of these methods to supplement crop yields attained by traditional farming for a more resilient food security
Innovative development, and a supporting policy framework, Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) offers the potential for fresh food production in countries with environmental limitations coupled with local and regional food security concerns
Using advanced CEA technology in an indoor, climate-controlled setting has the demonstrated potential to multiply yields of important vegetable crops grown in a desert climate by 11 times or more
Summary
Cooperation Council (GCC), including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, rank in the top 40% of the 2019 Global Food Security Index [1]. To compensate for harsh climatic conditions, extreme water stress, and minimal arable land, these oil rich nations have forged a robust network of international trade and foreign agricultural investments to ensure the availability of high quality, nutritious food for their populations [2,3,4,5,6]. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting disruption of transportation and trade brought into sharp focus the vulnerability of this strategy and highlighted the distinction between food security and food self-sufficiency. Without finding innovative new methods to produce more food within their own borders, GCC countries will remain vulnerable to food security risks in the face of global or regional shocks
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