Increasing the Resilience of the Food Systems
In Islamic States in Face of Future Food Crises
10
1.3. Methodology
The study uses both primary and secondary research tools and sources to achieve its objectives.
 Primary Research. A number of tools/strategies were used, including the following:
o In-depth Interviews: 15 in-depth interviews were conducted face-to-face and by
telephone with food security policy stakeholders, with emphasis on respondents
from agriculture and the food production sector. This provided insights into
strategies for managing food insecurity and for boosting food security. Interviewee
names are listed in the appendix. Experts were selected initially to supply salient
information on food security strategies, with referrals used to identify respondents.
Content analysis was used to analyze interview transcripts, and qualitative data
insights were integrated in relevant areas of the study.
o Online Survey: A survey with 150 respondentswas conducted online form August
to September 2019 with food security policy stakeholders to understand the
importance of various food insecurity management and food security boosting
strategies. SPSS was used to analyze the survey and descriptive data insightswere
integrated in relevant areas of the study. Responses from individuals working in
government bodies and non-governmental organizations accounted each for 21%
of the responses, while 14% of the responseswere from individualsworking in the
food processing industry followed by 10% who work in farming. The rest of the
responses were from various food industry businesses including Financing
providers for food and agriculture, agricultural suppliers, transportation and
storage, food retail, and professional associations. 46% of the respondents from
Asian OIC countries, 43% of the respondentswere from African OIC countries, and
12% were from OIC countries in the Middle East and North Africa region. It is
important to note that the small sample size only allowed for descriptive analysis
and precluded segmentation analysis.
o Case Studies: Five country case studies, three OIC member countries and two non-
OIC, were selected to provide insights into food insecurity management and food
security boosting strategies. The countries covered were Indonesia, Ireland, Niger,
Oman and the United States. Indonesiawas selected for its experience in leveraging
its extensive arable land, with heavy investments by the government , creating
agricultural enterprises. Ireland represents a transformation story, from a country
of subsistence farmers to one that produces almost ten timeswhat it can consume.
The Niger case study highlights the roadblocks faced by the country and actions by
its government to establish food security. Oman was chosen for its robust
investment activity from Oman Food Investment Holding Company (OFIC)
intended to boost food production in the country, as well as to useful insights into
how to boost food security in a country with limited arable land. The United States
was chosen for its leading food safety net programs and robust access to financing
for farmers. Both field visits and in-depth interviews were used to collect data in
the OIC case studies, while in-depth interviews were used in the non-OIC case
studies to complement secondary data in the desk case studies.