The power of food security

Abstract

The practice and policy of food security have been the subject of a large body of research. Less is known about the politics of food governance. This article responds to this gap by proposing that food security policies in the Arab Gulf states constitute a form of knowledge-power. This is manifest in a discourse that produces authority, legitimates the region's rulers, and facilitates the needs of the institutions and companies that oversee the governance of food. The discursive emphasis on food security as a technocratic matter serves to obfuscate political and environmental realities; it facilitates the acquisition of foreign land and fulfills objectives of security and profit.

Topics & Concepts