Tracking on food and agriculture-related SDG indicators in the Mediterranean region

Abstract

The Mediterranean region is facing important socioeconomic, demographic, environmental and geopo-litical dynamics, leading to a continuous rise in food requirements. These interlinked challenges are embodied in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all UN member states in 2015 and built around 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of the study is to classify countries of the Mediterranean region, based on their agriculture and food related SDGs progress, in order to understand the key implementation strategies, define the gaps between countries and identify priorities for action. To classify countries, a cluster analysis based on Euclidean distance is used, followed by the ANOVA. The analysis shows that the level of food security is a discriminating factor for the clustering of countries: a clear gap emerges between the countries of Western Europe and those of the MENA area. The transition towards more sustainable food production and consumption models has also reached different stages in the various countries of the area, representing a further element of distance.