Lime-flavored souvenirs boost Saudi farm innovation – Global Issues

Mohamed Alnwairan stands in front of a green orange tree that will bear its first lime crop after four months.

A former businessman turned farmer, he has been cultivating land in Al Ahsa, in the eastern desert of Saudi Arabia, for the past 15 years. Now, due to climate change and water scarcity, he is using new technology and a new crop.

“We are very proud of our limes in this part of Saudi Arabia. You can feel the citrus oil on your hands when you touch them,” he said UN news. “They remind us of our childhood, and now I have the opportunity to grow my own business.”

Mr. Alnwairan looks across his small farm in a fertile area near the town of Hofuf. It is about a thousand square meters, and the sandy soil is filled with about 120 two-meter-high trees that have been growing for four years.

Smart watering

“To my left are trees that have been irrigated using new methods and to the right are those that I watered by hand using traditional methods,” he said. Watered trees grow best.

The difference in color, shape and hardness is noticeable, and their strong health is largely due to the way they are watered.

The farm of Mr. Alnwairan is experimenting with what is known as smart irrigation, a resource-saving approach to crop production, which is being developed in the region by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

He uses an app on his smartphone to monitor the soil and track and deliver the water his lime trees need to thrive. When it rains, the sensors register the moisture conditions and interrupt the scheduled water supply. If the trees are not getting enough water, the app can command a higher flow of water, if necessary, all remotely.

Water stress

Water used to be plentiful in the oasis farming area, but reduced rainfall due to climate change and the cultivation of water-hungry rice, a specialty of the area, has reduced water levels making water more problematic and costly to access.

Mr. Alnwairan had to stop cultivating rice in another nearby plot when the water in his well fell 300 meters underground.

Mahmoud Abdelnabby, FAO irrigation expert, said “smart irrigation can reduce water use by 70 percent and is more environmentally sustainable.”

Farmers currently do not have to pay for water, but automation provides additional savings as fewer farm workers are needed to water the trees, a time-consuming and difficult task during the extreme heat of the Saudi growing season.

The technology while advanced is easily available in the domestic market and although capital investment is required, “it pays off with a high yield and low salary debt,” according to Mr. Abdelnabby of FAO.

The world is lost

As the climate continues to change in the desert lands of Saudi Arabia and drought conditions become more frequent, farmers also struggle with desertification and the loss of productive land.

Jaffar Almubarak, who works for the Saudi Irrigation Organization, a partner of FAO, said, “smart irrigation is part of an integrated response to climate change, which includes soil management and crop selection,” adding that “such a method can increase temperature. water use, but also help restore the land and fighting the desert.”

In December 2024, world leaders from governments, international organizations, private companies and civil society met in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to discuss solutions to drought, land loss and land. to restore.

Globally, up to 40 percent of the world’s land is degraded, with severe consequences for climate, biodiversity and human health.

Like farmers all over the world, Mr. Alnwairan uses his long experience and expertise to increase his crop yield, driven by need and opportunity.

“I’m thinking of using smart irrigation throughout my farm to focus more on growing lime, which already has a market,” he said.

If other farmers follow his lead, water will flow further into these dry areas while farming will help reduce desertification.