Agriculture in the Middle East and North Africa: Research Systems, Needs and Priorities
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AGRICULTURE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA. Research Systems, Needs and Priorities. A Critical Assessment. by Dr. Subhi Qasem December 1 986 A Study Supported by IDRC Regional Office for the Middle East & North Africa, Cairo 122. Agriculture in the Middle East and North Africa: Research Systems, Needs and Priorities . A Criminal Assessment Old evaluation report number was 3.5.4 I. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC INDICATORS 1. Population and Manpower 1.1. Present and projected population 1.2. Demogaphic features of population 1.3. Urban and rural population 1.4. Labour force 2. General Development Indicators 2.1. Gross national production (GNP), and gross domestic production (GDP) 2.2. Annual growth of production sectors 2.3. Development of oil revenues 2.4. Pricing policies 2.5. Land holding patterns 3. Resources of Agricultural Production 3.1. Land and its potential 3.2. Water resources 3.3. Range lands and forests 3.4. Land use patterns 3.5. Productivity 11. DEMAND AND SUPPLY OF FOOD COMM0DITIES:THE FOOD GAP 1. Wheat 2. Other cereals - 3. Red meat and white meat 4. Legumes 5. Sugar 6. Eggs in shell 7. Fruits and vegetables 8. General remarks 9. Future outlook 111. AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SYSTEMS IN ARAB COUNTRIES 1. Organization and Structures of Systems A. Research in ministries 8. Research in universities 2. Manpower in Agricultural Research 2.1.Manpower in institutions outside universities 2.2.Manpower in universities 3. Physical Facilities of Agricultural Research 4. Research Programming 5. Linkages 5.1.Survey of existing linkages 5.2.Potentials of research linkages in the Arab region 6. Outside Support of Agricultural Research 6.1.Scope and size of outside support IV. OPPORTUNITIES FOR IDRC ACTIVITY IN THE ARAB REGION - 1. General Features of Arab Agricultural Research System 9 2 2. IDRC Opportunities in Providing Support in the Arab Region 9.4 2.1.Support to strengthen elements of research system 94 2.2.Support to strengthen commodity research on a regional or sub-regional level 9 9 - 2.3.Support to strengthen individual national systems 102 b ANNEXES REFERENCES -TEXT TABLES- Table(1) - - Use of agricultural area in Arab countries for 1983 ...... .19 Table(2) - Surface and underground water resources that are available for irrigation in Arab countries for the years 1985 & 2000 .......21 Table(3) - Total area; and agricult~~ral,range and forest land in Arab countries for 1983 ...... .23 Table(4) - Average areas cultivated with main crops in Arab countries for the two periods of 1975-78 and 1980-84 .......26 Table(5) - Average productivity of eight basic crops in:the world, all Arab countries and in some other countries, for the periods of 1975-78 and 1980-84 ...... .3D Table(6.1-lk) Production and gap of some basic food commodities in Arab countries, and their changes over the period 1975-84 .....i.37-5C Table(7) - Changes in average quantities of production of major - food commodities in Arab countries over the period 1975-84. ...... .51 Table(8) - Changes in average quantities of consumption of major food commodities in Arab countries over the period Table(9) - Names of agricultural research institutions under ministries in Arab countries (1985) . .'5 6 Table(l0)- Faculties and institutes of agriculture and veterinary medicine in Arab countries (1985) . .62 Table(l1)- Manpower working in agricultural research institutions in Arab countries (1984-85) Table(l2)- Percentage allocation of research manpower @ (Ph.D and MSc.holders) to various areas of research in eight Arab countries (1984-85) Table(l3)- Number, level of qualification and nationality of manpower working in faculties of agriculture and veterinary sciences in Arab countries (1985) .......78 -LIST OF ANNEXES- - Population of Arab countries:present (1984), estimated(l9861, and projected(1990,1995, 2000) .......I13 Annex(2) - Per cent of population of working age (15-14 years) for the years 1965 and1984, and percentage of labour force in agriculture, industry and services for 1965 and 1980 ....... 114 Annex (3) - Distribution of population by age groups in Arab countries for 1985,1990,1995 and 2000 .......115 - Per cent urban population in Arab countries for 1965 and 1984 ....... 119 - Some basic economic indicators for Arab countries (1984):gross national production (GNP), gross domestic production (GDP), per capita income and distribution of GDP by sector .......120 - Average annual growth rate of GDP,agriculture, industry and services in Arab countries, for the periods of 1965-75 and 1973-84. .......121 Annex(7.1)-(7.13) - Average area, production and productivity of major crops in Arab countries, world and some other countries, for the periods of 1975-78 and 1980-84 Crops:Cereals (total), Wheat, Maize, Barley, Rice, Legumes (total), Broad beans, Chickpeas, Lentils, Dry onions,Tomatoes, Potatoes, Watermelons, .......122-1 Annex(8.1)-(8.16)- Average production, balance of export/ import, total requirement and self- sufficiency ratio (SSR) of major food commodities in Arab countries for the period 1980-84 Commodities:Cereals (total), Wheat,Maize, Barley, Rice, Legumes (total), Vegetables (total), Dry onions, Tomatoes,Potatoes,Fruits (total), Apples,Red meat,White meat, Eggs in shell, Sugar (refined) .......135-15 Annex(9.1)-(9.17)- Distribution of manpower working in agricultural research institution outside universities by field (1984-85) Countries:Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon,Kuwait, Libya, Morocco,Oman,Qatar,Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan,Syria,Tunisia,UA Emirates, Yemen AR , Yemen Dem .......152-16 -1- I. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC INDICATORS Population and Manpower. Present and projected population: The total population of Arab countries in 1984 came to almost 185 millions. The population of individual countries, rate of growth and pro- jected population for the years 1990, 1995 and 2000 ere shown in Annex(1). The Arab countries have one of the highest rates of population growth in the world. Based on past and present trends, social and political considerations, the United Nations report on world population prospects projected an average of 2.9 per cent of annual growth in population for the group of Arab countries. This means that the population of Arab count- ries will reach 290 millions by the year 2000. This means also that an additional one hundred million people would have to be fed by the year 2000. 1.2 Demographic features of population: Another feature that is characteristic of Arab population, is the high percentage of dependents falling in the age group of zero to 14 years of age. In 1984 population in working age (15-64) as per-cent of total population came to: - 48-53 in:Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Libya, Sudan,Somalia, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Oman and the two Yemens. - 54 to 59: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Tunisia and Egypt. - 60 to 67: Bahrain, Qatar and U.A Emirates. The high per cent of working age in some oil countries is per- haps a result of high number of adults who were given citizen- ship in recent years. What is worth noticing here is that the high percentage of dependents in the age group of zero to 14 that persisted in the population since 1965 (see Annex 2). The projected distribution of age group zero to 14 in the year 2000 comes to average of 50 per cent in the Arab countrie (Annex 3). Compared to per cent of population in working age of other countries, the picture is as follows: Per cent of population in working aqe(15 - 64) -Average Arab ountries -United States -West Germany -USSR - 1.3 Urban and rural population: One of the main features of deve- loped societies is the dramatic increase in urban centers res~ lting from migration of people from rural to urban areas. The Arab Countries are not an exception; over a period of 20 yparc (1965-1984), the major changes that took place were as follow$ - -- - -- - Urban population in1984 as Countries per cent of total population 19 to 33 -Yemen 13 AR, Oman, Sornalla 21, Egypt Mauritania -YemenDem.,Syria, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria -Saudi Arabia, U.A.Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan Increase of urban population Countries in 198k cver 1965 (L) Less than 20 -Egypt 20 to 50 -Yemen Dem.,Kuwait, Iraq, Morocco, Algeria 51 to 65 -Jordan, Somalia, Sudan, -Saudi Arabia -Yemen AR, Oman, Libya, Mauritania The distribution and changes that took place in urban population for individual countries are shown in Annex (4). 1.4 Labour f0rce:Labour force working in agriculture and other sectors in individual countries is shown in Annex( 2). In all Arab countries, labour force working in agriculture has decreased over the period 1965 to 1980. The decrease should not be looked at in a negative context. It is only when the agricultural sector is suffering from labour migra- ting to other sectors, that constraints should be studied. 2. General Development Indicators 2.1 Gross national production (GNP) and gross domestic - production (GNP): The total GNP's of all Arab countries in 1984 came to 4110.3 millions US Dollars. The total GDP's for the same year was 393.1 millions. This shows that some Arab countries earned from sources outside their domestic ones, a total of 23.2 billions. The sources of such income are usually income remittances of labour working outside the country, grants and interests of national investments abroad. The distribution of GNP,GDP, per capita income and shares of production sectors in the CDP by country are shown in Annex( 5 ). Some analysis of the data for GNP and COP shows the following: a- Total GNP's of all Arab countries for 1984 make up only 79 per cent of the CNP of a country like France whose population came to 54.9 millions. b- The GNP1s of six oil-exporting countries; namely Algeria, Libya, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and U.A Emirates, make up 72.45 per cent of CNP1s of all 21 Arab countries.