Framework for Sustainable Agro-Ecosystems in Support of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries' Food Security

Globally, food security faces unrelenting challenges, including growing population expected to reach 10 billion toward the end of 21st century, shifting diet preferences, diminishing natural resources and a changing planetary climate. This challenge is most acute in arid, hot Arabian Gulf region. Presently, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are comfortably food secure, almost entirely through food importation, with all the risks associated with total dependency on food import. Risks related to heavy reliance on food import include i) disturbance to global supplies routes, ii) food price volatility in global markets like 2007-2008, and iii) the unpredicted impact of climate change on global food supplies. To balance risks of food import, two measures seem to be effective: 1) stable grain stock and 2) a boost in domestic production. There are gaps in our knowledge regarding the local production capacity and how much contribution can be expected under prevailing climatic and environmental conditions. The primary objective of this paper is to identify and analyze innovative, resource-conserving, practical and sustainable ways to improve food production under local climatic conditions. In this framework, we considered agro-ecosystem agriculture (AEA) as a farming system that balances production and environmental goals and, most importantly, minimizes the trade-off between the two. We conclude that enhancing local food production would require capital investment in greenhouse structures, irrigation technology, and skilled labor.