COMCEC Agriculture Outlook 2017
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Maldives have experienced high domestic food price volatility which significantly damages the
stability dimension of food security.
3.5. EIU Food Security Index
The Global Food Security Index, developed by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), covers the
core issues of food affordability, availability, and quality across a set of 113 countries, 37 of
which are the OIC member countries. The index is a dynamic quantitative and qualitative
scoring model and is constructed from over 28 indicators that measure the drivers of food
security across both developed and developing countries. The overall goal of the study is to
understand which countries are the most and least vulnerable to food insecurity through an
examination of the three internationally recognized areas of assessment: Affordability, this
effort is distinct for two main reasons. First, the study looks beyond hunger to the underlying
factors affecting food insecurity. Second, the study features a unique adjustment that measures
the impact of recent shifts in food prices and income growth on a country’s ability to afford
food. The adjustment factor is a top-level way of accounting for price shocks that might
compromise or further degrade a country’s food security.20
In the index, countries are grouped into 4 different categories which are Best Environment,
Good Environment, Moderate Environment and Needs Improvement. According to this index,
the top 5 OIC member countries which are more successful in terms of food security are Qatar,
Oman, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, most of the OIC member
countries are in the Needs Improvement Category.
Table 9. Global Food Security Index (2016)
Best Environment
Score 72.4-86.6
Good Environment
Score 57.1-72.3
Moderate
Environment
Score 41.6-57.0
Needs Improvement
Score 24.0-41.5
1 United States 86.6 4 United Arab Emirates 71.8 Jordan 56.9 Senegal 41.0
2 Ireland 84.3 5 Saudi Arabia 71.1 Morocco 55.5 Benin 40.2
3 Singapore 83.9 Bahrain 70.1 Algeria 54.3 Nigeria 39.4
4 Australia 82.6 Malaysia 69.0 Kazakhstan 53.7 Mali 39.3
5 Netherlands 82.6 Turkey 63.6 Indonesia 50.6 Tajikistan 38.6
6 France 82.5 Tunisia 57.9 Uzbekistan 49.8 Togo 37.9
7 Germany 82.5 Azerbaijan 57.1 Pakistan 47.8 Bangladesh 36.8
8 Canada 81.9 Egypt 57.1 Uganda 44.2 Syria 36.3
9 United Kingdom 81.9 Cote d’Ivoire 42.3 Guinea 35.0
10 Sweden 81.3 Cameroon 41.6 Sudan 34.7
… … … Yemen 34.0
… … … Burkina Faso 31.0
Mozambique 29.4
1 Qatar 77.5 Niger 29.0
2 Oman 73.6 Chad 28.6
3 Kuwait 73.5 Sierra Leone 26.1
Source: EIU, 2016
When compared to 2014 and 2015, most of the OIC member countries have improved their
Food Security Score significantly. While 27 out of 37 OIC member countries have improved
20 EIU, 2015