The Middle East, the most established geography of agricultural production; It covers 16 countries such as Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Cyprus and Israel. A population of 500 million lives within these borders, and the total geographical area is around 2.8 million km2. If we make a general evaluation about our region;
• The Middle East is largely an arid and semi-arid geography and is the region that will be most severely affected by climate change, and agricultural production will decrease by 15-30% until 2080. Production technology and skills should be improved in arid agricultural areas.
• Our region is below the world average in terms of water availability, and especially transboundary waters such as the Nile, Euphrates and Tigris should be managed very well. The use of pressurized irrigation technologies should be rapidly expanded and water savings should be achieved.
• Some countries in the region, which are currently food importers, import 93% of their grains, 62% of their meat and 56% of their fruits and vegetables. This situation should be addressed urgently and the food sufficiency level of the region should be increased above 50%.
• The Middle East is the region with the highest number of immigrants after the African continent in the world, and 1.2 million people migrate from our region annually. This migration makes agricultural production impossible. It is extremely important to establish peace and prevent migration from our region.
• The world has come a long way in the use of renewable energy, which is extremely important for adaptation to climate change. The share of renewable energy in energy use is 31% in China, 11% in the USA, 6.4% in Brazil, 5.4% in Canada, and this rate is below 5% in our region. In our region, renewable energy sources, especially solar, should be used more.
• Plant and animal breeds compatible with climate change should be developed, especially in species such as wheat, barley, sheep, goat, date palm and paddy, and breeds and species known to be resistant should be disseminated. For this purpose, joint R&D studies should be increased.
• Greenhouse farming should be encouraged in every area and greenhouse technologies should be developed. Türkiye can make a great contribution to technological transformation in the region in this regard.
• Trade of agricultural and food products in the region, including seeds, breeding animals and new generation machinery, should be facilitated. An exchange program should be developed by identifying plant seeds and breeding animals that are compatible with extreme climatic conditions.
• Joint and large integrated investments should be made in cereals, oilseeds, feed crops, animal husbandry, milk and dairy products. For this, a joint venture fund should be established and state authority should be established and investors should be encouraged.
• Joint investments should be made in high-tech plant proteins, feed and food additives, cold storage, food processing, preservation and transportation technologies and infrastructures. The private sector should be supported in this regard.
• Joint and effective programs should be developed to prevent food waste, which is unfortunately common in our region. Relevant public authorities should develop programs for this.
• “Food free zones” should be created to ensure that foods grown in our region can easily access the needed markets at affordable prices. Countries in the region should act jointly on this issue.
