The food security challenge continues to be one of the main issues that currently face the world despite improved economic development in many countries. The challenge is particularly unique in one of the world’s arid regions, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This paper analyses the food security strategies of Qatar (one of the six countries that make up the GCC), especially since 2017 when the blockade of the country by its neighbors began. Qatar’s current food sufficiency was made possible by the country’s swift and profound changes in its food production strategies to ensure food security for its population. In order to provide locally sourced foods to the population, private and public initiatives were activated to support small farmers to distribute and supply their farm produce to local markets. The results show that Qatar has shifted from importing some food commodities to locally producing a high proportion of its foods to the extent of becoming an exporter of some farm produce. However, this increase in the local food production was achieved at the cost of depleting the local groundwater at a rate higher than the natural recharge. This paper thus critically assesses the specific situation of food security in Qatar that could be used as an example for other countries aiming to strengthen their food security, especially during transnational crises when international food supply chains suffer from unavoidable disruption (e.g., COVID-19 crisis).

Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are naturally occurring aluminosilicate minerals, known for their unique tubular structure, which have garnered significant interest for a wide range of applications. This study explores the morphological changes of HNTs when subjected to thermal treatment ranging from 25 °C to 1100 °C using a combination of experimental characterization techniques and molecular dynamics simulations. Techniques such as solid-state NMR (SSNMR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area measurements, and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) were employed to analyse the structural evolution. The results reveal two major transitions: the first occurring between 400 and 500 °C, corresponding to the release of intercalated water and partial distortion of the HNT structure, and the second occurring between 900 and 1000 °C, marked by the collapse of the tubular structure and the exposure of alumina on the surface. These findings provide significant insights into the thermal stability of HNTs, informing future applications, especially in high-temperature environments.