The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 caused disruptions in the global food supply chain, heightening food security concerns. The GCC countries rely on imports for a large portion of food due to environmental conditions that restrict agricultural development. Covid-19 is increasing concerns of food crisis in these countries, limiting the movement of logistics and personnel. GCC countries are pushing for policies such as expanding domestic production, increasing investment in overseas farmland and food sectors, and diversifying sources of income, which are expected to be pursued more actively in the future. Meanwhile, the introduction of technology-based smart agriculture in GCC is expected to accelerate as agricultural innovation incorporating high-tech technologies, or AgTech, has emerged as a global issue in the agricultural sector amid the ongoing fourth industrial revolution and technological innovation. This study aims to explore the current status and characteristics of food security in the GCC countries, analyze policies, and derive cooperative implications in response to the GCC’s reinforcement of food security to provide a way to diversify Korea’s energy and construction-focused cooperation with the GCC region.
   Chapter 2 analyzes the GCC’s food security situation through the World Food Security Index and statistics related to food production and supply. GCC countries ranked 13th to 50th out of 113 countries in the 2019 World Food Security Index. Among the sub-sectors, particularly high scores and rankings were given to “affordability,” which is relevant to the country’s wealth and food purchasing capacity. GCC countries remained at the bottom of the world in terms of natural resources and resilience, a sector which is not included in the index calculation but can gauge the likelihood of future food crises due to environmental changes. Meanwhile, food production in GCC countries accounted for only 25.2 percent of total consumption. Most of the food production shortfalls were supplied through imports, especially, the proportion of imports to total consumption of grains was 93.0%. The stock of grain is also low compared to consumption. In other words, it appears GCC countries are maintaining good food security levels overall, but they will face limitations that are difficult to cope with when food supply problems arise due to their high dependence on food imports and lack of water and farmland.
   Chapter 3 examines the GCC’s food security policies and the direction of change in the post-Covid-19 era. Since the 2008 global food crisis, the GCC has been pushing for policies to strengthen food security by increasing domestic food production and increasing overseas investment. These initiatives in GCC countries are accelerating further with the Covid-19 pandemic. In announcing their national development plans, the GCC countries selected food security as one of the key areas, going on to develop detailed strategies and establish dedicated organizations. Moreover, the government is promoting sustainable agriculture that considers the environment and introducing smart agriculture projects, and is expanding corporate support and research and development around the UAE. GCC countries are also expanding investment in overseas farmland and international food companies and strengthening food stockpiles and supply and demand management.
   Chapter 4 touched upon cases of cooperation between major countries such as China, Japan, the United States, and Europe and the GCC. In addition to government-level cooperation, China is actively engaged in private and academic cooperation. Agreements have been reached between the Chinese and UAE governments on strengthening cooperation in the agricultural sector and developing technologies, and various related projects are underway. While Japan is also establishing a cooperative system at the government level, the creation of funds through public-private funds is a notable feature. Japan, in cooperation with the GCC sovereign wealth fund, is investing in joint ventures established bilaterally with local companies. Technology-based startups in the U.S. and Europe are actively entering the GCC market. The UAE is attracting and investing agricultural start-ups in these countries.
   Chapter 5 explores the current status of cooperation between Korea and the GCC region and seeks future cooperation directions. First, it will be able to strengthen intergovernmental agricultural technology cooperation and corporate support policies. At the government level, expanding cooperation in agricultural technology and carrying out joint projects will be able to facilitate entry of companies. As demand for smart farms in the GCC region increases, it is expected that introduction of smart agriculture systems will expand. While leading agricultural countries such as the Netherlands, Europe, and the U.S. are actively pushing for entry into the GCC region, it will be necessary to come up with strategies to find sectors that are differentiated from these companies and in which Korea can show competitiveness. In addition, cooperation related to farm labor education can take place as the GCC local agricultural sector is assessed to lack manpower capabilities. In this regard, the government will be able to provide education through the operation of human resources exchange programs and promote knowledge sharing projects through the dispatch of agricultural experts. In addition, these efforts will allow the government and companies to diversify entry areas according to changes in food value chain. Since the outbreak of Covid-19, there have been changes in the GCC local food market, such as an increase in online orders and demand for healthy foods. As a result, the importance of cold chains is expected to increase, and consumption of organic products, halal foods, and stored foods will continue to increase. Finally, the creation of an industrial cluster exclusively for Korea could be promoted in the food sector. The food industry cluster will be able to promote shared growth by providing incentives to agricultural and food companies and increasing synergy through corporate integration.