São Paulo – The Qatari mission that will travel to Brazil for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) will present the country’s latest plans to boost its food production without emitting greenhouse gases. This is the main challenge for the Qatar National Food Security Programme (QNFSP) in the years to come.
The country’s delegation to the event, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro from June 20 to 22, will comprise more than 100 people and will present QNFSP environmental projects adding up to over US$ 2.5 billion and the US$ 300 million QNFSP master plan, which will be implemented up until 2024. The plan will determine how healthy food will be produced in the country without emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Qatar is a leading gas producing country and obtains part of its revenues from the exploration of oil derivatives. The country also boasts the world’s highest per capita income. Nevertheless, it struggles when it comes to producing food. Right now, 90% of all food consumed in Qatar is imported. In 2008, the country’s agricultural deficit reached US$ 1.2 billion. Besides, 75% of the water is desalinated because the volume of subterranean water and Qatari consumption exceeds the volume of underground water extracted.
The purpose of QNFSP includes coming up with ways to increase food production and productivity at farms, and fighting commodity and water scarcity. Through greater food production, the country will be less vulnerable to price fluctuation and political instability in its supplier countries.
“The country is dependent on elements from outside our borders,” says the QNFSP chairman Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani. In a press statement, he said that the country aims to put an end to emissions while managing Qatar’s natural limitations. In other words, the goal is to use the QNFSP framework in order to produce more food using renewable energy.
One of the ways to cut down emissions is to generate energy from the sun. Right now, the country is building a solar power complex which will help boost agricultural production, in addition to powering a desalination plant. According to the QNFSP, the country has reduced its carbon emissions by 14%. The goal is to have zero emissions by 2030.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
