ASSESSING QATAR'S NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY 2018-2023: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

Abstract

ABSTRACT Food security strategies have become essential tools for states seeking resilience against geopolitical and environmental shocks. In Qatar, the 2017 Gulf diplomatic blockade exposed Qatar's structural vulnerabilities in the food system and accelerated the formulation of the Qatar National Food Security Strategy. This study evaluates the QNFSS 2018-2023 through a systematic review of relevant academic and policy literature to identify existing research gaps in Qatar’s food security studies. Then, subsequently applies the OECD-DAC evaluation framework to assess the strategy across five key dimensions: relevance, coherence, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability. A mixed-methods research design is employed, drawing on secondary data sources. The findings indicate that the strategy is highly relevant to Qatar's structural vulnerabilities in food security. However, policy coherence was assessed as moderate, reflecting internal conflict between livestock expansion and groundwater protection, and external tension between self-sufficiency targets and Qatar's environmental commitments. In terms of effectiveness, the strategy achieved partial success, with meaningful progress in domestic dairy production and trade diversification, but was offset by significant shortfalls in fish, poultry, and fodder. Regarding impact, the public-private partnership model represented by Baladna emerged as the most replicable positive outcome. On sustainability, gains remain conditional on hydrocarbon-funded subsidies and a cross-ministerial governance architecture that has yet to be formalized. Three priorities are recommended for the successor QNFSS 2024-2030: integrated Food-Energy-Water nexus governance, population-adjusted target setting, and strengthened reserve monitoring. Key words: Qatar food security, QNFSS, OECD-DAC

Date of Award	2026
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	HBKU College of Public Policy