5 May 2015, Rome/Barcelona--- Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries are increasingly dependent on imports for key staples such as grains, sugar and vegetable oil which provide the region’s poor with most of their calories. In a region where most countries have significant food deficits, emphasis is being placed on the role of private-sector investment in bolstering food security. From May 5th to 6th a two-day conference sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Union for the Mediterranean will take place in Barcelona Spain. Leading agribusinesses, farmers’ organizations, ministers, representatives of international financial institutions and policy makers will gather to discuss just how public and private sectors can collaborate in addressing issues of food security in the region.