Friday 23 January 2015

KSA pushes strategy for sustainable agriculture

The Food and Agricultural Extension (FAO) of the United Nations in the Kingdom has issued a report laying out its accomplishments for the 2012-2014 period, which includes the technical cooperation program between FAO and the Kingdom.
The technical cooperation program contributed to the Saudi Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) developing a strategy over the period of the two years.
The strategy entitled “Strategy for Sustainable Development of Agriculture in KSA Up to 2030” includes the establishment of Extension Centers for Integrated Farms (ECIF), considered a major achievement under the program.
“The MOA has adopted the ECIF concept and obtained funds from the government for its expansion to all regions of the Kingdom over the next five years,” the FAO report said.
These centers assist the MOA in upgrading existing extension programs and introducing innovative agricultural technology and farm management tools.
They include several projects from different areas of expertise such as rural development, horticulture, irrigation, plant protection, date palm, olive and animal resources.
The program has introduced four centers in Al-Hasa (East), Hail (North), Kharj (Center), and Jazan (South). It includes selected plantations based on their relative advantages for each region, barns for animal production, irrigation systems and water management control services, composting unit for the management of agricultural waste, and plant clinics for diagnosis of agricultural pests and diseases.

Also included are a nursery for the production of date palms and other fruits and vegetables, a refrigeration unit for post-harvest storage of agricultural products, a training unit for technicians and farmers and personnel management unit.
The extension centers focus on the application and development of good agricultural practices (GAP) for the protection of consumers and the environment. GAP includes good horticultural inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides, water and seeds.
They also focus on the use of ECIP as a platform for information exchange among farmers and technicians from the public to the private and research sectors, who are end-users of the agricultural technologies developed.
Moreover, they focus on the re-use of farm animals and crop waste for the production of compost and the organization of training sessions, seminars, conferences and workshops on various aspects of sustainable agricultural production for the benefits of farmers and ministry officials.

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