FSC in dialog: Food security in the Arab world

On January 13th, 2014, Farah Naja from the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences at the University of Beirut, Lebanon presented and discussed the topic: “Towards a food secure Arab world, assessment as a start?” at the “FSC in dialog” lecture series in Hohenheim.

It is believed that there is a bi-directional association between food security and the up-risings in many countries of the Middle East and Northern Africa. This suggestion reinforces a pressing need to develop and validate tools to measure food security in these countries. Farah Naja presented evidence for the validity and reliability of the first Arabic food security assessment tool, which was adapted from the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale and validated in Lebanon. Naja and colleagues recommended the use of this tool in research and programs aiming to formulate and implement evidence-based policies and programs to tackle food insecurity in Lebanon and the surrounding region.