Food security, sustainable development, and Islamic ethics: a model of harmonization

Abstract

Food security and sustainable development evolved and advanced after major global crises and disasters occurred, such as famine, chronic hunger, undernourishment, poverty, pollution, degradation of natural resources, and climate change. A strong interrelation between ethics and morals and achieving food security and sustainable development was found. Ethics in Islam is a core issue and an important part of Muslim faith. Accordingly, maintaining and incorporating Islamic ethics in all aspects of life is easy and binding for Muslims. A harmonization approach between the three issues was proposed, in which the rights, concerns, and interests of the key players, the stakeholders and the government, were fulfilled and maintained. An applicability mechanism of the harmonization approach was set and detailed, consisting of the government's role in creating legalized and empowered public ethical institutions and the stakeholders’ responsibility to abide by the rules and procedures provided by those institutions. Four ethical public institutions were proposed: a media/educational center, an impact center, a protection agency, and a coordination unit. The application of the approach would make food security and sustainable development more efficient, more complete, more convincing, more sophisticated, and easier and more suitable.