Analyzing Self-Sufficiency Strategies in Agricultural Production for Ensuring Food Security in Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Economic Governance, Faculty of Governance, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

2 Ph.D., Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Economics and Agricultural Development, University of Tehran, Alborz, Iran.

Abstract

The agricultural sector, with a rich heritage in Iran, plays a pivotal role in ensuring of the food security of the nation and contributing to the economy. Despite this rich heritage and the importance of this sector to the Iranian economy, achieving self-sufficiency in terms of agricultural production has long remained elusive goal for the country. In pursuit of this goal, successive governments have implemented various programs aimed at achieving self-sufficiency in terms of the of production of staple crops such as wheat, with some moderate successes. However, the trend towards achieving self-sufficiency has been fraught with fluctuations, often involving periods of surplus followed by periods of reliance on imports. This study explores the challenges facing the country’s journey towards achieving self-sufficiency in terms of agricultural production, by means of measuring and analyzing the country’s self-sufficiency ratio with respect to critical agricultural products. The results obtained show that Iran has managed to achieve a self-sufficiency ratio of over 80% in terms of production of milk, eggs, red meat, chicken meat, alfalfa, olives, sugar beets, cottonseed, rapeseed oil, and semi-solid oil, between 2011 to 2021. Furthermore, Iran has achieved a 100% self-sufficiency in the production of alfalfa, milk, chicken meat, sugar beets, and olives. However, self-sufficiency in the production of soybeans, corn, sunflower oil, and sunflower seeds has remained weak and unstable. Given the continued importance of achieving self-sufficiency in agricultural production, addressing infrastructural shortfalls and adopting innovative solutions could strengthen food security by fostering further development of the agricultural sector, thus reducing dependency on global markets. The study concludes by offering suggestions for future research on agricultural self-sufficiency in Iran.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Defense Economics and Sustainable Development
Volume 10, Issue 35
April 2025
Pages 29-59

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