Increasing the Resilience of the Food Systems
In Islamic States in Face of Future Food Crises
132
5.3. SWOT Assessment of the OIC’s Current Food Systems
Overview
While the OIC is naturally endowed with resources, a young population, and broad
opportunities—in particular in halal food and investments—the bloc faces substantial
limitations, spanning fundamental structural weaknesses and numerous gaps in food
production. As substantial environmental threats face the region, a comprehensive policy
framework is desperately needed to strengthen the OIC food system.
Table 70: SWOT Analysis of OIC’s Food Systems and Mapping to Areas of the Food Security
Policy Framework
MonitoringMitigationAdaptationResilience
Strengths The OIC countries have substantial natural endowments
Substantial young population
Weaknesses Food
production and
trade
Weak agricultural systems, far below potential
Lack of globally competitive food and beverage
companies
High trade barriers inhibiting intra-OIC trade
Lack of financing, in particular, Shariah-
compliant
Fundamental
structural
weaknesses
Limited research activities and capabilities
Weak economic, legal and government
institutions
Opportunities Halal food trade
Foreign direct investment
OIC-led investment fund opportunities, spanning public and
private sector
Zakat made accessible for social safety nets
Threats Environmental disaster spanning climate change, water shortage
and loss of arable land
Lack of planning for potential food crises and limited adaptability
due to lack of adequate social safety nets
Source: DinarStandard Analysis
OIC Strengths
The OIC is naturally resource abundant. OIC states possess 65% of the global reserves of crude
oil—a major source for energy and petrochemical products that drive the world economy
today—and 58% of the global proven natural gas reserves.509 They further possess 40% of the
world’s mineral resources and occupy 29% of its arable land area.510 Many OIC countries rank
509 OIC-StatComwebsit
510 SWOT analysis of the OIC member states 2013