By: Maggie Clark

* My issue is agriculture in the Middle East

* In the Middle East, agriculture is the largest contributor Gross Domestic Product and foreign exchange, and is the second largest employer. The Middle East produces less than half of the products it consumes. Large areas of the Middle East are very rich in natural resources. One country alone, Saudi Arabia, possesses nearly one- fourth of the world’s total oil reserves. Most Middle Eastern countries are highly dependent on food from other countries. With the exception of Israel, agriculture in the region remains undeveloped. The region’s food import bill in 1984 came to $22.5 billion.

* The UN has established many different organizations in order to help the growth of agriculture. The FAO, Food and Agriculture Organization, pushes long-term strategies to increase food production and food security. The IFAD, International Fund for Agricultural Development, finances agricultural development programs and projects to help people overcome poverty.

* The Middle East has such terrible conditions for agriculture that they have to rely immensely on other countries to supply them with what they need. If this keeps up, supplies will run short and the demand for agriculture will increase. It will probably start a riot or a revolution for agricultural products. If the UN efforts to help work, then agriculture in the Middle East will grow and prosper.