Towards Achieving Water and Food Security in the Mediterranean Region

Food securityFood security and water securityWater security have been central in the ongoing debate on sustainability and sustainable developmentSustainable development. This chapter sheds light on the multifaceted and multidimensional relationships between food security and water security in the Mediterranean region. In particular, the chapter (i) describes the state of food (in)security, (ii) analyses water insecurity and water stress, (iii) explores the water-food nexusWater-food nexus, and (iv) makes proposals to achieve water and food securityFood security in the Mediterranean with a particular emphasis on water use efficiencyWater use efficiency and water productivityWater productivity. Food insecurity, undernourishment and malnutrition are still pressing issues, especially in southern and eastern Mediterranean countries. Moreover, water shortage is increasing due to a decrease in water availability alongside an increase in demand, mainly driven by agriculture. Meanwhile, most Mediterranean countries are not on track to achieve the Sustainable DevelopmentSustainable development Goals (SDGs) relating to food (SDG 2—Zero hunger) and water (SDG 6—Clean water and sanitation). Given the scarcity of water resources, further exacerbated by climate change, Mediterranean countries have to increase the efficiency and productivity of the use of water resources, especially in agriculture. Therefore, the improvement of water demand management, the promotion of saving and rational use of water, and, in some cases, the reuse of treated wastewater, especially for agriculture, are paramount for the sustainable management of water resources in the region. Moreover, it is necessary to adopt a water-food nexusWater-food nexus in policies to support the transition to sustainability in the region.