The Road to the SDGs

PURPOSE X The COVID-19 pandemic greatly increased the vulnerability of at least 65 million people in IsDB MCs. Many still face the risk of suffering or dying from hunger. X 45 million of the most vulnerable people in the world live in IsDB MCs. It is therefore essential that IsDB responds quickly as the total annual food deficit in MCs amounts to around US$ 67 billion. X Poor populations are vulnerable to surges in food prices since they spend a high share of their income on staple food alone. According to the International Rice Research Institute, 700 million poor people live in rice- growing countries in Asia, spending 30–40% of their income on rice alone. METHOD X The Islamic Food Security Platform (IFSP) will transform the current Adahi arrangement (distribution of Hajj meat to beneficiaries) not only to distribute and manage the meat, but also to help and support all poor Muslims in acute hunger in the short term. The use of excess capacity from the Adahi Project in 2020 and blockchain technology with open ledgers for procurement and distribution will be the first of its kind in the world, building trust and transparency and making the Platform globally competitive. X The use of blockchain technology in the procurement exercise will set a gold standard for food security programmes globally, while promoting the use of this technology in MCs agri-food industries. X Setting up the IFSP is a building block in developing resilient and vibrant agri-food value chains in the Muslim world, given the immense resources available in the various countries in the long term. X The proposed global food reserve will provide immediate assistance to countries encountering catastrophe, in addition to solving food shortages for MCs. It will provide alternative physical storage for MCs, by benefiting from economies of scale and utilising existing infrastructure. The IFSP will also develop the agriculture industry by initiating local agriculture production in MCs. X Increasing growth through productivity has to be achieved to avoid famine and mass starvation in the long term. The IFSP will therefore focus on narrowing the yield gap and supply/ demand gaps in MCs through increased food productivity. A n agile and comprehensive Islamic Food Security Platform offers the opportunity for Muslim countries focused on addressing hunger and food security to augment agri-food value chains and create a sustainable and resilient food and agribusiness infrastructure among IsDB MCs Global Islamic Food Security Platform With the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, food security has become one of the most pressing issues globally, especially in the Muslim world [ 136 ] SDGs