Food Security Dynamics in Oman: VECM Approach

Abstract

The paper examines the determinants of food security in Oman during the period 1980-2019. It investigates the influence of population growth rate and GDP per capita on food security. Cointegration and vector error correction model (VECM) approach are used to identify the long term and short term relationship of food security determinants. The results confirm the existence of a long run relationship among the determinants of food security. Further this linkage indicates that food security in Oman is positively influenced by the population growth rate and GDP/capita(current). The error correction term suggests that 51.7 percent of the total disequilibrium in food security was being adjusted every year which is justifiable for an oil producing country.

Challenges of food security in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: an empirical analysis of fixed and random effects

“…This result confirmed by Molotoks et al [30] that population growth affects food availability. In contrast with Arabic countries, Devesh and Affendi [15], find that food security is significantly affected by the population growth rate in Oman, and rising population growth positively influences food security in Algeria [62].…”

“…Currently, there are still research gaps in the original research published on the challenges of the food security indicators aspects conducted in GCC countries. Limited numbers of the studies have examined the determinates of food security using the econometrics models [15], besides, the keywords for some previous and existing studies of food security, directly or indirectly achieved in GCC countries, were addressing aspects related to strategies, water, agriculture, tourism, food production, energy, and sustainable development [16][17][18][19].…”