WASHINGTON, June 29, 2026 - The Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan region has clear opportunities to develop stronger agriculture and food systems, improve nutrition, counter food insecurity and create jobs, according to a new World Bank Group report: Building Food Security, Creating Jobs. The report estimates that with ambitious investments and business climate reform, the region could see 5 million new jobs by 2050 - a significant contribution to addressing the region's youth employment challenge.
The report highlights the importance of action to rapidly put the region's food and agriculture systems on a more resilient path. Currently, 18 percent of the region's population faces some level of food insecurity - a historic high - and 42 percent are unable to afford a nutritious diet, including many in middle-income countries. Conflict is the chief cause of outright hunger, but food affordability and poor nutrition are widespread problems across the region. And with food demand in the region projected to rise by 67 percent by 2050, near-term investments and policy reform are more needed than ever.
Transformative progress will require moving beyond fragmented interventions toward integrated, sustained action that aligns policies, incentives, and programs across sectors and over time - an approach at the heart of AgriConnect, the World Bank Group's global initiative to transform farming for 300 million smallholders, create jobs and strengthen food security.
The report estimates that increasing regional investment in more water-efficient irrigation and agricultural innovation by US$12 billion annually, supported by ambitious and coherent policy reforms, could substantially increase domestic food supply - more than doubling fruit and vegetable production, and raising cereal yields by 72 percent by 2050 - while beginning to ease pressure on groundwater. Resilient and well-managed trade can also help the region develop export markets, balance its water needs, and ensure food security at a reduced fiscal cost.
The agrifood sector already employs approximately 63 million people - nearly three in ten workers across the region. While on-farm employment is declining, jobs in processing, logistics and food services are growing at twice the global rate, reflecting a dynamic structural transformation.
Better jobs can come from increased productivity, higher-value crops and farm incomes, while new job opportunities can be created across the value chain. At the same time, surveys conducted for the report reveal that contrary to common assumptions, large majorities of people see agrifood employment as an opportunity to earn good money, especially for young people.
The report also highlights how logistics investments and better consumer incentives can help reduce food waste, helping to feed millions and free up fiscal and natural resources. These can be coupled with decisive action to balance demand and supply in favor of healthier, more nutritious food to combat poor nutrition.
"This report demonstrates that the region can take concrete, near-term action to boost food security, build the foundations for stronger agriculture and food systems, and create millions of new jobs," said Mesky Bhrane, World Bank Regional Director for the Planet Department. "The World Bank Group is actively supporting countries as they do this, by investing in innovative technologies and next-generation irrigation and agriculture, and linking farmers to new opportunities through the AgriConnect initiative."
