A sustainable organic production model for Food Security in Abu Dhabi Emirate and Sicily

Abstract

The research aims to analyze the link between sustainability and food security, in two study areas - the United Arab Emirates and Sicily - characterized by numerous elements of similarity (from the climatic point of view, in the availability for quality and quantity of water resources; widespread sensitivity in adopting organic or sustainable methods of cultivation, high demographic immigration, of a politicaleconomic and tourist nature, with repercussions in the organization of the socio-cultural, territorial working system, etc.) and of diversity (in average incomes per capita, in the availability of financial resources for investments, etc.). This link has been studied through organic farming which, as we know, is a possible solution for both problems, both in advanced and developing countries. In fact, the food security of any territory is not simply linked to the ability to produce enough food to satisfy domestic demand, but also to the possibility of having access to technology and knowledge to produce it on the territory, to the purchasing power, etc. From this point of view, the literature demonstrates how the success of organic farming is based on five capital goods (natural, social, human, physical and financial capital), producing a variety of positive externalities (in the availability of food through the regeneration of the substance organic land, in contrast to soil erosion and biodiversity protection, in the creation of increasingly large number of local social organizations, new rules and rules for the management of collective natural resources, in the ability and ability of farmers to experiment and solve various problems, in support of marginalized groups or low-level contracts, in the best health and nutrition of children, in price premiums for certified organic products, etc.). For these premises, organic farming makes it possible to implement sustainable food systems, capable of ensuring the food security of a territory and, consequently, the conservation and cultural reproduction of the indigenous knowledge characteristic of the concept of "food sovereignty". The drafting of the text proceeds in coordinated parts. After defining the concept of sustainability in the modern agri-food system, we have analyzed the characteristics of the areas under study, the level of food safety, the state of agriculture and the spread of organic agriculture, according to the most accredited international statistical sources. . We then proceeded to examine the sustainability of the two territorial production systems under study, using the SAFA (Sustainablility Assessment of Food and Agriculture Systems) methodology of the FAO and the consequences on local food security and sovereignty. Subsequently, through the use of Social Network Analysis (SNA) methodologies, relationships were studied in the link between production, distribution and consumption with the aim of assessing the ability of companies to communicate sustainability values to potential buyers. Finally, the behavior of a sample of consumers was analyzed with the aim of analyzing behavior and preferences, in the awareness of the role that this actor plays within the agri-food system.