الأمن المائي والغذائي لدول مجلس التعاون الخليجي: التحديات وآفاق التعاون

Abstract

The Arab Gulf region is considered one of the world’s most water-scarce regions in terms of renewable water resources. Arid or desertified lands constitute about 95% of the Arabian Peninsula, while annual rainfall amounts are among the lowest globally, ranging between 50 and 250 mm annually. This severe scarcity of water resources directly leads to a deficiency in food production. Consequently, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries heavily rely on seawater desalination to achieve water security, and on food imports to ensure food security in the short and medium term. Thanks to financial surpluses from oil and gas exports, these countries have been able to build desalination plants and import most of their food needs, in addition to providing storage infrastructure to enhance water and food security in the future. However, dependence on these solutions may face serious challenges in the long run. International crises and fluctuations in oil and gas prices make countries that rely primarily on these resources vulnerable to financial risks, which may affect their ability to finance water desalination projects. Moreover, heavy reliance on food imports makes them susceptible to supply disruptions or shortages. Therefore, this paper seeks to clarify the existing water and food situation of the GCC countries and provides a number of recommendations that, as a whole, contribute to reducing the problems of food and water shortages in these countries.