Harvesting self-sufficiency

To achieve food security, the Sultanate has developed an array of plans and programmes focused on the sustainability of food supply for citizens and residents.

The 2040 Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy in Oman aims to promote agricultural sector sustainability, increase economic revenues, create job opportunities for nationals, support rural communities, and limit structural imbalances in the agricultural sector.

The Food Security Strategy (2020-2040) sets forth a set of objectives seeking to enhance Oman’s food security system in terms of production, import, storage, and distribution. It focuses on three key themes, namely food demand, local food production, and securing imports

According to proposals in Oman’s National Spatial Strategy, new agricultural areas and food processing hubs will be established to contribute to food security in the county.

“To promote food security and self-sufficiency within Oman, ensuring appropriate integration of agricultural and resource management as the economy develops, whilst seeking to protect land suitable for agricultural development and coastal waters suitable for fisheries”, the report points out.

In this regard, Najd in Dhofar, Al Masarat in Al Dhahirah and North Al Batinah have been identified as major arable areas in this regard.

These areas have been identified taking into account the importance of sustainable management of limited water resources, the exploitation of non-traditional water resources, and the use of modern production techniques.

According to Oman’s Sustainable Development Goals, the government opts to encourage its citizens to produce and invest in agriculture and livestock fields by providing them with lands to establish economically viable projects.

Many programs and projects were also dedicated to sustainable consumption and production, including agricultural pests and technical employment for production operations, with a view to preserving agricultural products, reducing damage caused by pests, and ensuring optimal employment and sustainability of available agricultural resources.

Efforts have also been directed towards improving and updating relevant laws and executive regulations that organize agricultural development action and maintain the sustainability of agricultural production and food safety.

The Sultanate has also developed a comprehensive food security strategy (2020-2040) to enhance Oman’s food security system in terms of production, import, storage, and distribution, through three key themes: food demand, local food production, and securing imports.

Oman’s strategies have been successful in controlling malnutrition among children. The percentage of overweight among children under 5 years of age was reduced from 23.6 per cent in 1995 to 3.1 per cent in 2017 and wasting has also declined from 13 per cent to 9.3 per cent, while stunting dropped from 22.9 per cent to 11.4 per cent during the same period.

According to the Global Food Security Index (GFSI), developed by The Economist Intelligence Unit, which was published in February last, Oman ranks second in the Arab world and 34th globally. Qatar is ranked 37th, Saudi Arabia 38th, UAE 42nd and Bahrain 49th.

GFSI considers four broad categories - Food Affordability, Availability, Quality and Safety, and Natural Resources and Resilience - across 113 countries to rank them.

In addition, the index is a quantitative and qualitative benchmarking model constructed from 59 unique indicators that measure the drivers of food security across both developing and developed countries.

The food security strategy aims to increase the overall water availability from a base level of two billion m3 by 40 per cent and land for agriculture expansion to be brought into water-efficient, commercial production with a base level of 544 KM2 to 1,044 KM2.

Additional land available for food production within existing agricultural properties if fully utilised will be increased to 1,044 KM2 from a base level of 65,000 and the level of Food Self-Sufficiency to be achieved will be 70 per cent from base level of 48 per cent.

With regard to the Long-Term Fisheries Strategy, it aims at increasing fisheries production, promoting the sector’s efficiency in a sustainable manner, and improving the exploitation of fish stocks, in addition to boosting private sector investment and attracting foreign investment in fish industries and aquaculture projects.

Accordingly, the strategy aims to increase the total catch to 220,000 tonnes per year from 1,705 tonnes.

At the same time, the government also faces challenges like limiting the quantity of food available for human consumption, agricultural pests as well as animal-borne diseases and controlling epidemics that have adverse effect on food provision, in addition to water scarcity due to Oman’s location in a semi-desert area with low precipitation.