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020 _a9789948146247 (ebook)
020 _z9789948146223 (hardback)
020 _z9789948146230 (paperback)
035 _a(UkCbUP)CR9789948146247
039 9 _y03-08-2017
_zhafiz
040 _aUkCbUP
_beng
_erda
_cUkCbUP
245 0 0 _aWater and Food Security in the Arabian Gulf
246 3 _aWater & Food Security in the Arabian Gulf
264 1 _aAbu Dhabi :
_bEmirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research,
_c2014.
264 2 _aCambridge :
_bCambridge University Press
300 _a1 online resource
_bdigital, PDF file(s).
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
500 _aTitle from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 07 Mar 2017).
520 _aGrowing populations and economies have led to an increase in water demand around the globe. However, there are large variations in the amounts of water available to nations and regions, and growing concern surrounding the uncertainty associated with these supplies, due in large part to natural and human impacts on the water cycle. Despite its high financial and resource costs, many see desalination as the only viable means of ensuring water supply in the region. They argue that increasing reliance on desalination technology will be the most effective way of augmenting current supplies, despite the security risks associated with this option. While desalination plants are susceptible to natural hazards, mechanical failures and sabotage, they provide the Gulf states with an'upstream-like' status in terms of their water resources, with all the security and stability this provides. Hence the geopolitical and security benefits of desalination are greater than the potential costs. Like water security, global food security also faces an uncertain future. The Arabian Gulf region suffers from a substantial food gap, as all the countries of the region are net food importers. The increase in the region's population, rising income levels, and harsh weather conditions that prevent the increase of local food production, have resulted in a vast increase in the region's food imports, from a total value of US$ 6.5 billion in 1990 to US$ 28 billion in 2008. Over the past few decades, there have been major changes in the Gulf populations' food consumption patterns and behavior. This dependency is expected to continue to rise as a result of rapidly growing populations, improving living conditions, sustained economic/industrial development and depleting natural resources. To meet their food needs the Gulf countries must rely on international markets, which makes them vulnerable to the vagaries of global food production, trade policies and commodity prices. This is exemplified by the food crisis of 2007/2008, which led Arab Gulf countries to adopt strategies that include building up national strategic food reserves, scaling up subsidies, and acquiring land abroad for agricultural investments. International agro-investments have been a widely publicized reaction of the UAE and other Gulf countries to the global food crisis of 2008, but to improve food security other policy fields may be more important, and the UAE has a considerable number of national levers at its disposal to influence them in its favor. International storage solutions and other forms of multilateral engagement could make global food markets more reliable and predictable.
776 0 8 _iPrint version:
_z9789948146223
856 4 0 _uhttps://eresourcesptsl.ukm.remotexs.co/user/login?url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/9789948146247/type/BOOK
907 _a.b16442428
_b2022-11-01
_c2019-11-12
942 _n0
914 _avtls003618588
998 _anone
_b2017-08-03
_cm
_da
_feng
_genk
_y0
_z.b16442428
999 _c617458
_d617458