Among the many terrible consequences of the explosion in Beirut is the damage done to Lebanon’s food security. What can you tell us about the importance of infrastructure, such as ports and railroads, to ensuring food security?
The Lebanese experience reminds us again of the importance of having not only good infrastructure, but also solid regulatory frameworks. The cause of the accident was negligence on the part of officials responsible for the storage of dangerous chemicals. Weak institutions can crucially undermine even the best infrastructure – that was the case in Lebanon. Nevertheless, good food system infrastructure is key to food sovereignty and security.
Food sovereignty and security are different – both politically and in policy terms. Food sovereignty implies locally and ecologically appropriate models of production, distribution and consumption, where consumer power, social protections and climate justice are embedded. Food security is about access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food – regardless of the source and ecological footprint – that satisfies individual food preferences and dietary needs.
In the case of Lebanon, the country was already suffering from poor food sovereignty. Historically, Lebanon’s productivity sectors, mainly the agriculture sector, have remained severely under-developed. The country is heavily dependent on imported food: in 2019, it imported 85% of its food at a cost of roughly US$20 billion.
Due to restrictive monetary policy, food prices had already risen this year. The food security situation has worsened since the explosion, which destroyed the grain silos that stored the majority of the country’s wheat supply and badly damaged the port. Although there are global responses to relieve the immediate food crisis, given the political and economic situation, future food security is likely to remain challenging.
While the connection between food and infrastructure is often seen through the prism of investment, when it comes to shock events, it is resilience that matters most. Political and economic resilience is the ability to bounce back from shocks or crises repeatedly, without jeopardising socio-cultural stability.