Russia’s invasion of Ukraine  in February 2022 had a significant impact on international politics and economics. This conflict dealt a significant blow to global supply chains, particularly amplifying concerns about the stability of energy and resource supplies. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, already experiencing various instabilities, is estimated to have faced heightened food security concerns due to the Ukraine war. Prior to this conflict, factors such as population growth, refugee influxes, the vulnerabilities of agricultural structures, and the impacts of prolonged droughts caused by climate change had already reduced crop production. A combination of these internal and external factors has  created a situation threatening the food security of the MENA region. Rising food prices were one of the main causes for the political instability known as the ‘Arab Spring’ in 2011. The situation in the MENA region is closely linked to fluctuations in global food prices, and the instability of the global economy is seen as a major factor exacerbating the region’s food crisis.

In this context, this study aims to analyze local perceptions of the food crisis in the MENA region, elucidate the responses of individual nations and their patterns of international cooperation, and subsequently derive strategies for South Korea’s food security cooperation in the MENA region. Special emphasis was placed on the study of Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco in North Africa, regions considered to be highly vulnerable in terms of food security. In the Levant, the food security crisis in Lebanon was assessed, while in the Gulf region, strategies for stabilizing UAE’s food security were explored. Through an in-depth analysis of these representative nations from North Africa, the Levant, and the Gulf, this research sought to provide a comprehensive understanding of food security in the MENA region.

To achieve the objectives of this study, Chapter 2 describes the structural backdrop of the food security crisis in the selected case countries and analyzes their food security policies. These countries have geographic, climatic, and socio-economic conditions that could lead to food insecurity. Challenges such as desertification, prolonged droughts leading to water scarcity, and outdated agricultural practices hamper food production. Furthermore, with the exception of the UAE, socio-economic factors like poverty, high unemployment rates, continual influx of refugees, poor human rights, and political instability are intertwined with food security concerns. Despite their differences in resources and size, these countries are pursuing various strategies to address food security instability. These strategies focus primarily on enhancing self-sufficiency in food production, initiating employment projects to increase purchasing power, developing water resources, and improving agricultural value chains.

Chapter 3 employs text mining techniques to analyze intra-regional perceptions of the MENA food crisis and to establish correlations between food insecurity and socio-political instability. Specifically, using keyword analysis and LDA-based topic modeling, this chapter meticulously identifies core issues, causes, and trends related to the food crisis. Conventional media and Twitter analyses reveal considerable disparities in food security perceptions across these case countries. For instance, the UAE predominantly has a positive perception towards food security, reflecting a stable food supply. Morocco exhibits a moderate, neutral perception, possibly reflecting the stability inherent in its vibrant agricultural sector. In contrast, Tunisia and Lebanon demonstrate heightened crisis awareness and tangible food insecurity across various sectors. While Egypt seemingly projects a positive sentiment, a holistic analysis considering key text-mined terms and limited press freedom suggests a potentially underrepresented food security concern. Predominantly, Egypt’s high reliance on food imports coupled with its low self-sufficiency rate underscores significant vulnerabilities in its food security.

Based on the findings in Chapter 3, Chapter 4 examines potential collaboration avenues for food security with the target countries. The European Union (EU), the USA, Japan, and China are engaged in various food-related cooperation projects with these countries. Such cooperation includes areas such as strengthening capacity to respond to water resources and climate change, enhancing food production and self-sufficiency, agricultural technology, improving food distribution and storage, supporting small-scale farmers, and providing aid and financial support.

Chapter 5 proposes cooperation strategies for food security between South Korea and the case countries based on the analysis results. In conclusion, Chapter 6 summarizes and comprehensively evaluates the research findings. South Korea’s current level of food security cooperation in the MENA region is relatively inadequate, emphasizing the need to expand support.  There is a need to strengthen the effective linkage between water resources and energy in the cooperation process. Increasing the efficiency of distribution structures and working together to improve agricultural value chains is necessary, but a long-term strategy that considers the vested interests of local elites is needed.

Moreover, to strengthen food production and self-sufficiency capabilities in the MENA region, multi-dimensional cooperation that includes professionalizing and enhancing the technological capabilities of agriculture, such as agricultural machinery, smart farms, aquaponics farming, and expanding agricultural education, is essential. Additionally, there’s a need to explore support measures for vulnerable countries and groups by strengthening the food security network through government support, cooperation with international organizations, and private companies. Particularly, the integration of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and ESG management to create a sustainable ODA environment is crucial. Close communication and collaboration with international organizations such as the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are  essential for these efforts to yield tangible results.

국문요약

제1장 서론

1. 연구 배경 및 목적

2. 선행연구

3. 연구 방법론

4. 연구의 구성

제2장 MENA 식량안보 현황과 정책적 대응

1. 식량안보 현황

2. MENA 식량위기의 구조적 배경

3. MENA 식량안보 정책과 제도

제3장 MENA 식량위기에 대한 미디어 인식 분석

1. MENA 식량위기 분석 방법론

2. 북아프리카의 식량안보: 미디어와 대중인식

3. 레반트와 걸프의 식량안보: 미디어와 대중인식

제4장 주요국의 MENA 식량안보 분야 협력

1. 수자원 및 기후변화 대응 역량 강화

2. 식량생산 및 식량자급률 향상

3. 농업기술, 식량유통저장 개선 및 소규모 농민 지원

4. 원조 및 금융 지원

제5장 한국의 MENA 식량안보 분야 협력방안

1. 식량안보 지원 규모 확대 및 유기적 협력방안 마련

2. 장기적 차원에서 유통구조 개선 및 물류 협력 모색

3. 식량 자급자족 역량 강화를 위한 다차원적 협력 추진

4. 식량안보 취약국가·취약계층 중점 지원방안 마련

5. 식량안보 투자 활성화를 위한 정부-기업 협력 강화

6. 국제사회와 지속적인 국제공조 강화

제6장 결론

참고문헌

Executive Summary