Food as national security: Lessons from the UAE and Korea

Few countries are as acutely aware of their vulnerability to food supply disruptions as South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. Both are highly urbanised, import-dependent states with limited arable land, making food security a matter of national security. The shockwaves of the Russia-Ukraine war, climate-induced crop failures, and pandemic-era supply chain bottlenecks have underscored that the ability to feed one’s population is as strategic as oil or microchips.

Korea imports roughly 70% of its food, including nearly all of its wheat, corn, and soybeans, making it one of the most import-dependent countries among OECD members. Wheat supplies come primarily from the United States, Australia, and Canada, while corn and soybeans are sourced heavily from the United States, Brazil, and Argentina. Price spikes in these commodities are quickly felt in household budgets, making food inflation politically sensitive. To hedge against volatility, Korea maintains a modest but strategic grain reserve programme, stockpiling rice domestically and holding limited emergency reserves of wheat and barley. The reserve size remains limited compared to Korea’s exposure to global markets, which underscores the importance of its diversification and logistical strategies.

As a result, Korea emphasises trade diversification, spreading risk across multiple suppliers. It has also pursued overseas agricultural ventures in Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Russia’s Far East. While some projects have faced logistical hurdles, Korea has nevertheless sustained relatively stable supply chains through its world-class port infrastructure, strong national shipping companies like HMM (Hyundai Merchant Marine), and government-coordinated food import policies that allow Seoul to prioritise critical cargo and redirect shipments swiftly in times of disruption. Together, these measures have provided a degree of security in an otherwise highly vulnerable food system.

To mitigate risk from its high reliance on imports — around 90% of national food demand — the UAE has established extensive food reserves and invested heavily in advanced agri-tech solutions. This reliance reflects its desert climate, scarce arable land, and water limitations. Its sourcing is equally diversified: wheat and rice largely from India, Pakistan, and Australia, sugar and livestock from Brazil, dairy and meat from New Zealand and Europe.

The UAE maintains strategic food reserves, managed by the Abu Dhabi Food Security Authority and Etihad Mills, with silos in Fujairah and other sites capable of storing hundreds of thousands of tons of wheat, rice, and sugar, enough to cover national demand for several months in an emergency. At the same time, the UAE has positioned itself as a global pioneer of agri-tech, investing heavily in vertical farming, hydroponics, and aquaponics to produce fresh vegetables and fruits domestically year-round. Partnerships with firms like AeroFarms and Pure Harvest have expanded local output of leafy greens, tomatoes, and berries, reducing import dependency in high-value segments. Emirati firms like Al Dahra also hold farmland abroad, from Sudan and Egypt to Serbia and Spain, producing wheat, alfalfa, and rice for export back to the UAE.

Both states’ resilience rests not only on infrastructure but also on state-backed market interventions. Korea uses its logistical sophistication and diversified trading system to stabilise supply, while the UAE pairs its world-class ports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Fujairah with price-control mechanisms and subsidies to shield consumers. Importantly, the UAE’s social welfare system cushions vulnerable households by covering up to 75% of food price inflation for low-income Emirati families, reinforcing the link between food policy and social stability.

Beyond infrastructure and welfare, both countries articulate their food security ambitions through distinct national strategies. The UAE’s National Food Security Strategy 2051 is outward-facing, with explicit goals to rank among the top 10 countries in the Global Food Security Index by 2051, aiming for a 30% boost in local production and a 15% reduction in food waste by 2030. Korea’s Basic Plan for Food Security is inward-facing, focused on sustaining a 55% self-sufficiency rate in rice and nearly 50% in grains by 2025, while reducing food waste by 20%. The contrast highlights the UAE’s emphasis on innovation and global standing, while Korea prioritises staple sufficiency and consumer protection rooted in its post-war food scarcity experience.

Taken together, Korea and the UAE illustrate two distinct but complementary models of food security management. Korea demonstrates the advantages of logistical efficiency, trade diversification, and coordinated import systems, while the UAE exemplifies boldness in agricultural innovation, overseas land investment, and embedding food security within a broader national security framework. Both show that in the 21st century, food is no longer a commodity to be purchased cheaply on global markets but a strategic resource to be secured through foresight, diplomacy, and technological innovation.

Dr Kristian Alexander is a Senior Fellow at the Rabdan Security and Defence Institute (RSDI), Abu Dhabi, UAE.