Abstract: (4 Views)
Introduction and Objective: Food security is recognized as one of the most important dimensions of economic and social development, playing a fundamental role in improving societal welfare and achieving sustainable development goals. Sustainable access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food is considered a basic human right and has consistently remained a key concern for policymakers. In recent decades, rapid population growth, urbanization, climate change, economic fluctuations, and increasing pressure on natural resources have created numerous challenges for ensuring food security. Member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) face diverse food security challenges due to differences in economic structures, levels of development, environmental conditions, and dependence on the agricultural sector. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to identify and evaluate the effects of economic and environmental variables on the food security index in OIC member countries.
Materials and Methods: To achieve the objectives of the study, panel data from 46 OIC member countries covering the period 2005–2020 were employed. The food security index was used as the dependent variable, while gross domestic product (GDP), price index, carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, biomass consumption, foreign direct investment (FDI), and urban population were considered explanatory variables. Given the existence of cross-sectional dependence among the countries under investigation, the stationarity properties of the variables were first examined using the Cross-Sectionally Augmented Dickey–Fuller (CADF) test. After confirming the statistical properties of the data, the relationships among the variables were estimated using the Flexible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) approach.
Findings: The estimation results revealed that the selected economic and environmental variables exert heterogeneous effects on food security across OIC member countries. One of the most important findings of the study is the negative impact of urban population growth on food security. According to the results, a 1% increase in the urban population leads to approximately a 0.08% decline in the food security index and food production. This finding suggests that urban expansion in the studied countries has been accompanied by a reduction in the agricultural labor force and the conversion of agricultural land into residential and industrial areas. Furthermore, urban consumption patterns and the increasing tendency of labor to engage in industrial and service-sector activities have reduced participation in agricultural production, thereby limiting food production capacity.
Regarding carbon dioxide emissions, the results indicate that this variable does not have a statistically significant effect on food security. This may be attributed to differences in economic development, production structures, and the degree of vulnerability of OIC member countries to environmental impacts. Gross domestic product was found to have a positive and statistically significant effect on food security, implying that economic growth can improve food security through higher incomes, enhanced household purchasing power, improved food production and distribution infrastructure, and increased investment in the agricultural sector.
In contrast, the price index exhibited a significant negative effect on food security, indicating that rising prices and declining purchasing power restrict access to food and weaken food security conditions. The results also showed that biomass consumption has a significant negative impact on food security. This finding suggests that the extensive use of agricultural products for bioenergy production may divert agricultural resources and land away from food production toward fuel production, thereby reducing food supply capacity. Foreign direct investment was likewise found to have a significant negative effect on food security. This outcome may reflect the concentration of investments in non-agricultural sectors or the diversion of resources away from food-producing activities, ultimately generating adverse consequences for food security.
Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that economic and environmental factors play a crucial role in determining food security conditions in OIC member countries. The positive effect of GDP highlights the importance of inclusive economic growth and the strengthening of productive capacities. Conversely, the negative impact of inflation underscores the necessity of implementing macroeconomic stabilization policies and price-control measures to preserve household purchasing power and improve access to food. Moreover, the results related to urbanization indicate that unbalanced urban development may pose a serious threat to food security. Therefore, policies aimed at strengthening rural populations and employment opportunities, supporting agricultural activities, preventing the degradation and conversion of agricultural land, and creating incentives for labor retention in rural areas are essential. Measures such as subsidies, financial assistance, and land-allocation programs for rural households can contribute significantly to these objectives.
In addition, despite the benefits of biomass and biofuels as alternative energy sources, their large-scale utilization without considering agricultural constraints may reduce food production capacity. Consequently, governments should seek to establish an appropriate balance between energy security and food security through investments in advanced technologies and improvements in agricultural productivity. Overall, the results emphasize that enhancing food security in OIC member countries requires a comprehensive policy framework that simultaneously addresses economic, demographic, and environmental dimensions within development strategies.
Keywords: Food Security, Gross Domestic Product, Foreign Investment, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, Renewable Energy
Materials and Methods: To achieve the objectives of the study, panel data from 46 OIC member countries covering the period 2005–2020 were employed. The food security index was used as the dependent variable, while gross domestic product (GDP), price index, carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, biomass consumption, foreign direct investment (FDI), and urban population were considered explanatory variables. Given the existence of cross-sectional dependence among the countries under investigation, the stationarity properties of the variables were first examined using the Cross-Sectionally Augmented Dickey–Fuller (CADF) test. After confirming the statistical properties of the data, the relationships among the variables were estimated using the Flexible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) approach.
Findings: The estimation results revealed that the selected economic and environmental variables exert heterogeneous effects on food security across OIC member countries. One of the most important findings of the study is the negative impact of urban population growth on food security. According to the results, a 1% increase in the urban population leads to approximately a 0.08% decline in the food security index and food production. This finding suggests that urban expansion in the studied countries has been accompanied by a reduction in the agricultural labor force and the conversion of agricultural land into residential and industrial areas. Furthermore, urban consumption patterns and the increasing tendency of labor to engage in industrial and service-sector activities have reduced participation in agricultural production, thereby limiting food production capacity.
Regarding carbon dioxide emissions, the results indicate that this variable does not have a statistically significant effect on food security. This may be attributed to differences in economic development, production structures, and the degree of vulnerability of OIC member countries to environmental impacts. Gross domestic product was found to have a positive and statistically significant effect on food security, implying that economic growth can improve food security through higher incomes, enhanced household purchasing power, improved food production and distribution infrastructure, and increased investment in the agricultural sector.
In contrast, the price index exhibited a significant negative effect on food security, indicating that rising prices and declining purchasing power restrict access to food and weaken food security conditions. The results also showed that biomass consumption has a significant negative impact on food security. This finding suggests that the extensive use of agricultural products for bioenergy production may divert agricultural resources and land away from food production toward fuel production, thereby reducing food supply capacity. Foreign direct investment was likewise found to have a significant negative effect on food security. This outcome may reflect the concentration of investments in non-agricultural sectors or the diversion of resources away from food-producing activities, ultimately generating adverse consequences for food security.
Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that economic and environmental factors play a crucial role in determining food security conditions in OIC member countries. The positive effect of GDP highlights the importance of inclusive economic growth and the strengthening of productive capacities. Conversely, the negative impact of inflation underscores the necessity of implementing macroeconomic stabilization policies and price-control measures to preserve household purchasing power and improve access to food. Moreover, the results related to urbanization indicate that unbalanced urban development may pose a serious threat to food security. Therefore, policies aimed at strengthening rural populations and employment opportunities, supporting agricultural activities, preventing the degradation and conversion of agricultural land, and creating incentives for labor retention in rural areas are essential. Measures such as subsidies, financial assistance, and land-allocation programs for rural households can contribute significantly to these objectives.
In addition, despite the benefits of biomass and biofuels as alternative energy sources, their large-scale utilization without considering agricultural constraints may reduce food production capacity. Consequently, governments should seek to establish an appropriate balance between energy security and food security through investments in advanced technologies and improvements in agricultural productivity. Overall, the results emphasize that enhancing food security in OIC member countries requires a comprehensive policy framework that simultaneously addresses economic, demographic, and environmental dimensions within development strategies.
Keywords: Food Security, Gross Domestic Product, Foreign Investment, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, Renewable Energy
Type of Study: Research |
Received: 2026/06/2 | Accepted: 2026/09/29
Received: 2026/06/2 | Accepted: 2026/09/29
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