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OVERVIEW OF SELECTED MENA ECONOMIES 11


tion is less than 10 percent in Djibouti, Jordan, and Lebanon. On the other hand, it is more than 15 percent in just two countries: Morocco and Syria. Although the agricultural sector in most MENA countries is relatively small, this does not imply that it is a stagnant sector. As shown in Table 2.1, the agricultural sector grew at 4 percent per year on average over 2000–06 and at more than 5 percent per year in Jordan, Morocco, and Syria. Furthermore, the agricultural sector accounts for an important share in national employment. As in most developing countries, its share of employ- ment is significantly larger than its share in GDP. This pattern reflects the low productivity in agriculture in these countries and, consequently, the relatively large share of poverty in rural areas (IFAD 2003). In the MENA region, Morocco has the highest share of employment in agriculture, 45 percent, followed by Egypt and Syria, with 30 and 27 percent, respectively (see Table 2.1). Another measure of the importance of the agricultural sector is the share of agricultural exports in total exports. The contribution of agriculture to exports is below 10 percent in the region as a whole and for most selected countries with the exception of Syria (see Table 2.1). However, the impact of agricultural trade liberalization on households may be large even if only a small share of exports is from the agricultural sector because agriculture trade affects food prices, and thus food security, especially among poor households.


The Structure of Agricultural Production and Trade in MENA Trade liberalization is expected to result in relative price changes that will affect each country at the national level according to its pattern of produc- tion and trade. MENA countries are characterized by a high dependence on food imports, a situation that may threaten their food security when inter- national food prices rise significantly, as they did in 2007–08 (Benson et al. 2008; Von Braun 2008). This section examines the patterns of agricultural production and trade in the eight countries under consideration.


Production


The MENA region faces adverse climatic conditions, including low and highly variable annual rainfall patterns and poor soils for the most part. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO 2004), 62 percent of the region is hyperarid, 17 percent arid, 11 percent semiarid, and 4.4 percent subhumid. Agriculture in the region operates under severe limita- tions in water resources. Irrigation plays an essential role in the agricultural sector of Egypt, where all cropland is irrigated, and an important supporting role in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, where 24–31 percent of the cropland is irrigated (Table 2.2). Agriculture in the other MENA countries relies largely on rainfall (FAO 2003).


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