Doha, Qatar: The second Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS) high-level forum on food security has stressed climate-smart agriculture (CSA) to mitigate environmental impacts with a number of other innovations to ensure food security in member countries.
CSA is an approach that helps guide actions to transform agri-food systems towards green and climate resilient practices. It supports reaching internationally agreed goals such as the SDGs and the Paris Agreement.
The forum which was hosted by Qatar from October 1 to 3, issued communiqué at the conclusion.
The communiqué stressed the importance of developing agricultural practices by adopting advanced technologies and innovations to address food security issues, which include good food, climate-smart agriculture, precision agriculture, digital agriculture, remote sensing, organic, vertical, hydroponic agriculture, and other innovations.
It also emphasised the importance of technologies related to water management and climate-smart agriculture, especially in the OIC member countries as well as the transformative potential of digital platforms and Internet of Things (IoT) devices for precision agriculture, enabling efficient use of water and leading to improved crop yields.
The communiqué comes amid growing challenges in ensuring food security within OIC countries, especially in the Middle East and Africa regions and other regions with dry and arid terrain, which have been exacerbated by the global economic slowdown, conflicts and the long-term effects of climate change.
These challenges, in turn, have led to disruptions in supply chains, economic instability, and exacerbated vulnerabilities in national, regional and global food systems.
Hence, the communiqué affirmed the commitment of member states to the objectives of the Islamic Organization for Food Security, and their support for its initiatives in the areas of food security and agricultural development.
It also stressed giving priority to strengthening OIC food markets, enhancing intra-OIC trade, and facilitating investment to ensure agricultural sustainability and promote economic growth within the OIC member countries.
The synergy between technological progress and innovations in the field of food processing has the potential to reshape the food industry, attract significant investments and stimulate international trade, placing countries at the forefront of the rapidly developing global food ecosystem.
Strong policy and regulatory frameworks are needed to facilitate the effective implementation and scale-up of these innovations, in addition to highlighting the importance of disseminating knowledge through stakeholder engagement and collaborative forums to inform decision-makers and stakeholders in achieving sustainable food security and agricultural practices.
The participants expressed their appreciation for the significant contribution made by the Islamic Organisation for Food Security and its efforts in supporting sustainable food security within the OIC member states and its additional work that includes social and economic development and the systematic implementation of specific programs and projects. These programmes and projects include the development of agricultural technologies, effective water management in agriculture, facilitation of trade and investment among OIC countries, active participation of civil society in the endeavours of IOFS, and strategic alignment of media efforts with the aim of enhancing food security.
The participants praised the government of Qatar and the Islamic Organisation for Food Security for holding this historic event.
