Increasing crop yield has become a major concern for countries and is an even more critical issue now. The Russia-Ukraine war disrupted wheat imports in MENA. The region is highly reliant on grains and an estimated 20% of the population is facing food insecurity. Ensuring that the region is as self-sufficient as possible where staple foods are concerned is no longer a luxury but a necessity. We expect to see more countries introducing stewardship programs and legislature that will protect crops, help farmers use the latest plant-science, and closely monitor the use of chemicals and pesticides to help improve production.

While these trends might seem to be a direct response to an immediate problem, they are also part of a larger trend, preparing for a more drastic change to come. The already arid, dry lands of MENA are a challenge to farm, but with the region seeing an increase of up to 6 degrees per decade, it is only going to become harder to grow crops. Research is already ongoing on finding more resilient strains and seeds to handle the upcoming and inevitable climate change. Many farmers have already made the switch and it is expected to see governments and institutions working towards more large-scale solutions driven by the need to support agriculture for a sustainable and food secure future in the MENA region.