New governance pathways for food security in the Near East and North Africa

Food security has become a central policy concern across the Near East and North Africa (NENA). Population growth, limited natural resources, high import dependence, and exposure to global market shocks have pushed governments to treat food security as a strategic priority.

Awareness is not the problem. Governance is. From my own perspective working on agrifood systems in the region, policy responses to food insecurity are often reactive. When food prices spike, governments intervene. When supply chains are disrupted, imports are secured. When poverty rises, subsidies are expanded. Necessary measures. But mostly short-term responses.

Increasingly, I see that what remains largely missing is a structured governance framework capable of addressing agrifood systems as integrated systems throughout the region.

Agrifood systems sit at the intersection of multiple policy domains: agriculture, trade, nutrition, water, health, and social protection. Yet these sectors rarely operate perfectly together. Agriculture ministries tend to focus on production. Health ministries deal with nutrition. Trade ministries manage imports. Social protection agencies distribute subsidies.
Each policy works. But often in isolation.

The consequences are familiar: overlapping policies, inefficiencies, and unintended outcomes. Subsidy systems designed to stabilize prices may improve food access but can also shape dietary patterns or distort markets. Health authorities later address nutrition-related diseases. Fiscal authorities worry about subsidy costs. But the system itself is rarely governed as a whole.

This fragmentation represents one of the key governance challenges in the region’s agrifood systems transformation.
Some countries are experimenting with more integrated approaches. Jordan and the United Arab Emirates offer two notable examples.

Jordan: Institutionalizing coordination

Jordan has taken an important step toward integrated governance through the establishment of the Food Security Council (FSC) in 2023. The council emerged from the National Food Security Strategy (2021-2030), which recognized that food security requires coordination across sectors.

The FSC operates as a national multistakeholder platform. Chaired by the Minister of Agriculture, it brings together ministers responsible for trade, planning, health, social development, water, environment, education, and finance, along with representatives from the armed forces, statistics authorities, private sector organizations, and farmers’ associations.
Its mandate: coordinate policy.

The council works through three main pillars: 1) governance and coordination, 2) evidence and monitoring, and 3) crisis response and resilience. Supporting structures include subcommittees on strategy and policy, food loss and waste, and food security information systems, as well as a technical secretariat that ensures implementation.

Jordan’s approach explicitly recognizes the links between food, water, energy, health, and trade. This systems perspective has already proved valuable during recent disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic and global grain market shocks, when coordinated responses helped maintain supply stability.

Jordan is also extending its governance role regionally through the Mashreq Food Security Observatory, which aims to strengthen food security monitoring and knowledge sharing across neighbouring countries.

The United Arab Emirates: Strategy and systems coordination

The United Arab Emirates has pursued a different but complementary approach, centred on strategic coordination and innovation.

In 2019, the government created the Emirates Council for Food Security (ECFS) to oversee the implementation of the National Food Security Strategy 2051. The council brings together ministries responsible for climate and environment, economy, health, education, infrastructure, and emergency management.

The strategy is built around five priorities: 1) diversifying food import sources, 2) strengthening technology-enabled domestic production, 3) reducing food loss and waste, 4) improving food safety and nutrition, and 5) strengthening crisis preparedness.

A systems approach in practice.

Initiatives such as the national Ne’ma programme on food loss and waste, sustainable agriculture programmes, and ag-technology innovation platforms connect government agencies, research institutions, and private sector actors under shared goals. Monitoring frameworks, digital dashboards, and performance indicators – such as the Global Food Security Index – help track progress.

Institutional capacity is reinforced through advisory committees, partnerships with international organizations such as FAO and the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture, and programmes supporting research and innovation.
Even here, challenges remain. Data integration, technical capacity, and cross-sector incentives still require continued investment.

From reaction to systems governance

Jordan and the UAE illustrate two emerging pathways towards better agrifood systems governance across NENA. Jordan emphasizes institutional coordination and inclusive platforms. The UAE focuses on strategic leadership, innovation, and performance-driven management.

Different approaches. Same lesson.

Food security cannot be governed sector by sector.

It must be governed as a system.

Senior Economist and Head of Strategy and Policy

Ahmad Mukhtar

FAO Regional Office for Near East and North Africa.

[email protected]