Only one country in the world can fully support itself!

The results of a global study on the food sovereignty of the world's countries have been published. The results of this large-scale analysis, conducted by scientists from the Universities of Göttingen in Germany and Edinburgh in the UK, were surprising. According to the study, conducted in 186 countries, there is only one country on earth that does not need external assistance and is able to fully provide itself with all basic food products. This is the small state of Guyana, located in the northeastern part of the South American continent, with a population of less than one million. This is reported by Science Alert.

During the study, scientists analyzed the domestic production volumes of the world's countries by basic food types. Seven important groups were taken into account: fruits, vegetables, dairy products, fish, meat, legumes (including nuts and seeds), and starchy crops (potatoes, etc.).

According to the results, Guyana turned out to be the only country in the world that can fully cover its domestic needs for all seven groups of products mentioned above. The main reason for this is the favorable climatic conditions and high agricultural land productivity in this country.

The countries with the closest indicators to Guyana are China and Vietnam. They are able to independently satisfy their domestic needs in six out of seven groups.

However, the results of the study show another alarming fact. Only one in seven countries in the world is able to fully cover their domestic needs in five or more food groups. Among them is Uzbekistan, which is among the countries that are self-sufficient in the production of fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat and starchy crops.

At the same time, it is especially noted that our country cannot fully cover its needs in fish and legumes (products such as nuts and seeds).

According to analysts, a third of the countries in the world are able to independently produce only one or two types of products in sufficient quantities. In countries such as Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Macau, Qatar and Yemen, it is not possible to fully cover domestic needs even in one species.

The situation is not so good in economic unions. For example, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) can only provide itself with meat products. The West African and Caribbean Association of States is also independent in only two types of food products. None of the unions is completely independent in the production of vegetable products.

According to scientists, the main solution in such situations is the development of international trade relations. However, this also has its own risks: many countries become dependent on one or two main importing countries. This makes them extremely vulnerable to political conflict or any disruptions in the supply chain.

Therefore, scientists emphasize the need not only to strengthen international cooperation, but also to diversify trade relations. This is the most effective way to ensure food security, protect public health, and achieve sustainable economic development.