Regional Agriculture and Food Systems Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of the Near East and North Africa Region
The COVID-19 pandemic affected agri-food systems worldwide. However, while the impacts differed from one country/region to another, the scholarly literature seems to focus on developed countries in the Global North. Consequently, this review scrutinizes the literature on the pandemic’s impacts in th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Foods |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/2/297 |
| _version_ | 1797339903845990400 |
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| author | Hamid El Bilali Tarek Ben Hassen |
| author_facet | Hamid El Bilali Tarek Ben Hassen |
| author_sort | Hamid El Bilali |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 pandemic affected agri-food systems worldwide. However, while the impacts differed from one country/region to another, the scholarly literature seems to focus on developed countries in the Global North. Consequently, this review scrutinizes the literature on the pandemic’s impacts in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region. A search on the Web of Science in March 2023 generated 334 documents, of which 151 were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review. According to the bibliometric analysis, the most active nations are Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Lebanon. In general, the coverage of studies is better in the Gulf region than in the less developed countries of North Africa and those suffering from wars (cf. Libya, Syria, and Yemen). Studies generally focus on crop production and the downstream food chain (cf. distribution and consumption). While the pandemic influenced every pillar of food security, this research concentrates on access and utilization. Meanwhile, the lion’s share of the literature deals with the pandemic’s socio-economic effects, especially those linked to food (in)security and health. The pandemic, which laid bare the agri-food system vulnerabilities, should be seized to foster the transition towards more resilient agri-food systems in the NENA region. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:55:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d23b56f624c94f0498f13fb8c8f3dacb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2304-8158 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:55:16Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Foods |
| spelling | doaj.art-d23b56f624c94f0498f13fb8c8f3dacb2024-01-29T13:52:31ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582024-01-0113229710.3390/foods13020297Regional Agriculture and Food Systems Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of the Near East and North Africa RegionHamid El Bilali0Tarek Ben Hassen1International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM-Bari), Via Ceglie 9, 70010 Valenzano, Bari, ItalyProgram of Policy, Planning, and Development, Department of International Affairs, College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, QatarThe COVID-19 pandemic affected agri-food systems worldwide. However, while the impacts differed from one country/region to another, the scholarly literature seems to focus on developed countries in the Global North. Consequently, this review scrutinizes the literature on the pandemic’s impacts in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region. A search on the Web of Science in March 2023 generated 334 documents, of which 151 were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review. According to the bibliometric analysis, the most active nations are Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Lebanon. In general, the coverage of studies is better in the Gulf region than in the less developed countries of North Africa and those suffering from wars (cf. Libya, Syria, and Yemen). Studies generally focus on crop production and the downstream food chain (cf. distribution and consumption). While the pandemic influenced every pillar of food security, this research concentrates on access and utilization. Meanwhile, the lion’s share of the literature deals with the pandemic’s socio-economic effects, especially those linked to food (in)security and health. The pandemic, which laid bare the agri-food system vulnerabilities, should be seized to foster the transition towards more resilient agri-food systems in the NENA region.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/2/297coronavirusbibliometricsfood securitysustainable agriculturesustainable food systemresilience |
| spellingShingle | Hamid El Bilali Tarek Ben Hassen Regional Agriculture and Food Systems Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of the Near East and North Africa Region Foods coronavirus bibliometrics food security sustainable agriculture sustainable food system resilience |
| title | Regional Agriculture and Food Systems Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of the Near East and North Africa Region |
| title_full | Regional Agriculture and Food Systems Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of the Near East and North Africa Region |
| title_fullStr | Regional Agriculture and Food Systems Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of the Near East and North Africa Region |
| title_full_unstemmed | Regional Agriculture and Food Systems Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of the Near East and North Africa Region |
| title_short | Regional Agriculture and Food Systems Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of the Near East and North Africa Region |
| title_sort | regional agriculture and food systems amid the covid 19 pandemic the case of the near east and north africa region |
| topic | coronavirus bibliometrics food security sustainable agriculture sustainable food system resilience |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/13/2/297 |
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