Focus Session: Saline Agriculture for Sustainable Food Security in the KSA

Speakers

Session Moderator

Dr. Vanessa Melino, Research Scientist at the Center for Desert Agriculture, KAUST

Panelists

Prof. Abdelaziz Hirich, Professor, Muhammed VI Polytechnic University, African Sustainable Agriculture Research Institute (ASARI)

Prof. Bilquees Gul, Professor, Institute of Sustainable Halophyte Utilization, University of Karachi

Dr. Alejandro Rios Galvan, Director of the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium and Chief Research Scientist, Khalifa University

Key messages

1. Soil salinization [1] is having significant impacts on agricultural productivity, including degradation of soil structure, reduction of fertility and availability of micronutrients, reduction in water uptake by plants, and larger scale impact on ecosystems such as water and nitrogen cycles.

2. There is limited data available related to soil salinization in the KSA so we cannot know the full extent of the problem, which may be very severe. This lack of data negatively affects local decision-making.

3. For saline agriculture,[2] attention must be given to the entire value chain, not just agronomy. This includes seed production systems, crop production systems at scale, valorization of products, and marketing of alternative crops.

4. Saline agriculture does not yet exist as an industry, so convincing the business community and policymakers to invest in long-term projects in saline agriculture is challenging.

Recommendations

1. Initiate a national soil salinization survey in the KSA in order to characterize the problem.

2. Build coalitions between all stakeholders in saline agriculture projects, including researchers, investors, farmers, distributors, retailers, and policymakers.

3. Leverage public-private partnerships for saline agriculture projects.

4. Involve farmers in saline agriculture projects from the beginning by locating demonstration platforms where the farmers are located – farmer adoption will happen with a participatory approach.

5. Support farmers in saline agriculture with equipment, training, and market opportunities.