According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), there are four critical dimensions of food security:
1) the obtaining of sufficient quantities of food of appropriate quality (Availability)
2) access to adequate resources for acquiring food for a nutritious diet (Affordability)
3) utilization of food through adequate diet for a healthy and productive life (Quality) and
4) the stability of food resources, over time (Safety) (Global Food Security Index, 2019)
The purpose of this research is to find the prevalence of food insecurity among low-skilled, low-income migrant workers who significantly represent more than 75 per cent of Qatar's population. This segment of the population/workforce is the most vulnerable to food insecurity, partly because of low-incomes, low food allowances, low education and a concern to maximize financial remittances to their dependent families back home. The first part of the study will analyze existing macro statistical data on food imports in Qatar (food categories and monetary value), local food production, food prices (using the Consumer Price Index from the Mercer Cost of Living Index) and per capita food consumption. The analysis will compare imports and local food production before and after the Saudi-led Blockade. This will serve as the structural backdrop to understanding the effect of the economic blockade on Qatar’s food dependency and self-sufficiency developments.
The study of the food supply chain will target key stakeholders for personal interviews including local food factories, food distributors, restaurant owners, and government authorities to obtain data on local production, food wastage, recycling programs and the legal frameworks they operate in. Interviews will also target food importers and other intermediaries who supply caterers that produce the food for worker consumption in major accommodation sites, and where employers provide the food. Second, a representative sample survey of approximately 1000 will be conducted with low-income workers to ascertain their views and experiences regarding food provision. Three categories of workers will be targeted: 1) those who are provided three meals per day by their employers, 2) those that are given a monetary food allowance and 3) those who are not given food or an allowance. We would expect to find significant differences in food security and insecurity between these three categories. The management of the survey will be contracted to the Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI) as the preeminent survey research institute in Qatar. The sample will also be representative of the different nationalities as identified in the Guest Worker Welfare Index (SESRI, 2018). Survey questions will ask about food availability (quantity and quality), the availability and conditions of cooking facilities, access to transport for obtaining food, income levels and expenditure on food and snacks, as well as telephones, transport and the like. The data will provide an indication of levels of local economy stimulus by foreign workers in Qatar. Questions will also ask about food waste (qualitative data). Food waste questions will also be asked in interviews with caterers and restaurants. Supplementary to the migrant worker survey, the researchers will construct a “Food Consumption and Expenditure Diary” as a mobile phone application for around 200 workers. These will provide daily or weekly entries over a six-month period to record details of food consumption and costs, for a deeper analysis and understanding. This digital survey will be innovative, economical and reliable. As the vast majority of male and female workers are married with dependent children, they seek to maximize their earnings to send to their families at home. Thus, those who receive a food allowance may not actually spend their allowance on food; similarly, with those who are not provided with food or given an allowance (Jureidini, 2014). Thus, skipping or reducing the quantity and quality of meals for financial reasons is a form of worker food insecurity. Lack of food availability at worksites and accommodation sites, lack of cooking facilities and transportation will also serve as measures of worker food insecurity. Food waste is also a critical element, defined by the FAO as discarded food that remains safe and nutritious for human consumption. Two thirds of food globally is wasted leading to unsustainable consumption and food supply chains. Food wastage leads to environmental pollution, depletion of resources and degradation, further threatening food security.
The UN global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to reduce food waste across the supply chain and to minimize per capita food waste by 2030 (UN: 2015). The Qatar National Vision (QNV) aims to achieve these SDGs. The findings in this study will contribute to national policy in relation to these goals. The research will be multidisciplinary looking at supply side and demand side dynamics of food security and food waste. The sociological dimension of workforce provisions and consumption behavior is also critical. Thus, the project will provide viable social and economic recommendations to devise consumption side policies and supply side policies to mitigate workforce food insecurity. The project is innovative in exploring advanced technical means in researching local food distribution and consumption, while accounting for food waste. This will open doors for future research by creating a reliable and expandable database. The study is not only about the economics of food dependency and self-sufficiency in supply and distribution, but also the interconnectedness between the food supply chains and food consumption patterns of a significant proportion of the workforce/population. In this respect, the findings of our project will support other science and technology projects on food security and local food production.