Abstract
Saudi Arabia is a country consisting largely of desert terrain, with limited naturally occurring ground water and is subject to extremes of temperature typical of an arid climate. The country is scarcely ideal for agricultural development. However, recognizing the importance of food security, the kingdom initiated several programs to advance facilities, services and farm inputs, including water, for the farming communities to increase food production and feed more of its citizens. With less than favorable circumstances, the kingdom successfully attained self-sufficiency in wheat, dates, eggs, fresh milk, and some vegetables. Although its share of the GDP is quite low, the kingdom’s fertile regions make agriculture and agri-business the third largest sector in GDP revenues. The agriculture sector has also helped improve the livelihoods of rural population. Yet, producing crops with the heavy application of irrigation from the limited and meager water resources posed serious threats to the sustainability of natural resources of the kingdom. The situation required major changes in the present farming practices and the adoption of sustainable agriculture concepts and practices in the Saudi Arabia. Increasingly, it has become important to educate the farming community to use the natural resources, including water, with sustainable mindfulness. This article presents the current scenario of the agricultural sector, the potential of sustainable agriculture, and the possible role of extension and education in converting agricultural production to sustainable practices in the kingdom. The purpose of this article is to establish the importance of agricultural extension in developing the relationship between sustainable agriculture and rural development initiatives.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Abou-Hadid AM (2010) Chapter 4: agricultural water management. In: El-Ashry M, Saab N, Zeitoon B (eds) Arab environment –water sustainable management of a scarce resource. Arab Forum for Environment and Development, Beirut, pp 56–70
Al-Alawi M, Abdulrazzak M (1994) Water in the Arabian Peninsula: problems and perspectives. In: Rogers P, Lydon P (eds) Water in the Arab world: perspectives and progress, division of applied sciences. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Al-Hazmi AS (1997) Plant nematode problems and their control in the near east region: Saudi Arabia. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome
Al-Ibrahim AA (1990) Water use in Saudi Arabia: problems and policy implications. J Water Res Plann Manage 116:375–388
Alkolibi FA (2002) Possible effect of global warming on agriculture and water resources in Saudi Arabia: impacts and responses. Clim Change 54:225–245
Al-Mogel A (1999) The higher agricultural education in Saudi Arabia and its future roles within the changes of the new centenary. In: The large university symposium: agricultural aspect. King Saud University, Riyadh: University Print
Al-Shayaa MS, Baig MB, Straquadine GS (2012) Agricultural extension in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: difficult present and demanding future. J Anim Plant Sci 22(1):239–246
Al-Subaiee FS, Yoder EP, Thomson JS (2005) Extension agents’ perceptions of sustainable agriculture in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia. J Int Agric Ext Educ 12:5–14
Al-Tukhais AS (1997) Water resources and agricultural production in Saudi Arabia: present and future. Water resources and its utilization in Saudi Arabia. In: Proceedings of the first Saudi conference on agricultural sciences, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, 25–27 Mar 1997
Al-Zahrani KH, Baig MB (2011) Water in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: sustainable management options. J Anim Plant Sci 21(3):601–604
Al-Zahrani KH, Al-Shayaa MS, Baig MB (2011) Water conservation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for better environment: implications for extension and education. Bulgarian J Agric Sci 17(3):389–395
Al-Zahrani KH, Muneer SE, Taha AS, Baig MB (2012) Appropriate cropping pattern as an approach to enhancing irrigation water efficiency in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. J Anim Plant Sci 22(1):224–232
Al-Zeir K (2009) Protected agriculture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Arab News (2010) Saudi KSU to have SR187m Agriculture Centre. February 11, 2010. http://www.meed.com/sectors/economy/education/saudi-ksu-to-have-sr187m-agriculture-centre/3061197.article. Accessed 14 May 2010
ASYB (2009) Agricultural statistical year book (ASYB). Issue # 22. Agricultural Research and Development Affairs, Department of Studies Planning & Statistics. www.moa.gov.sa
Country Studies (2010) Agriculture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Accessed 3 Mar 2010 from http://www.country-studies.com/saudi-arabia/agriculture.html
FAO (2009) Irrigation in the middle East region in figures AQUASTAT survey 2008. In: Frenken K (ed) FAO water report 34, country report Saudi Arabia, FAO Land and Water Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome 2009, pp 325–337. Available at: ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/012/i0936e/i0936e00.pdf
Glennon R (2009) Saudi Arabia’s water woes. The Huffington post. December 8, 2009. Robert Glennon posted January 14, 2009. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-glennon/saudi-arabias-waterwoes_b_157817.html. Accessed 2 Mar 2010
Human development Report (2009) Saudi Arabia – the human development index – going beyond income. Available at http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_SAU.html
Kassie M, Zikhali P (2009) Brief on sustainable agriculture. Prepared for the expert Group meeting on “Sustainable Land Management and agricultural practices in Africa: bridging the gap between research and farmers” Gothenburg, Sweden, 16–17 Apr 2009
Long Term Strategy (2002) Long term strategy 2025- Saudi Arabia. Ministry of Economy and Planning, Government of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh
MacRae R (1990) Strategies for overcoming the barriers to the transition to sustainable agriculture. PhD thesis, McGill University (Macdonald Campus) Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada, H9X 3V9. Definition of the term “Sustainable Agriculture”. Accessed 30 Mar 2009 from http://eap.mcgill.ca/sustain.htm
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (2002) Report for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2002, UN, Riyadh, KSA
Ministry of Planning (2000) The seventh Saudi development plan. Ministry of Economy and Planning, Government of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Oxford Business Group (2010) Great transition – Saudi Arabia planting new seeds. Published by Economics & Development, Global Arab Network. Monday, 26 April 2010. Available at http://farmlandgrab.org/post/view/12434-great-transition-saudi-arabia-planting-new-seeds
Ray DE (2003) Income-rich Saudi Arabia prefers grow-their-own food security. MidAmerica Farmer Grower 20(12)
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Ottawa, Canada (2010) Agriculture and water. Accessed 1 Jan 2010 from http://www.mofa.gov.sa/detail.asp?InNewsItemID=103852&InTemplateKey=print
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, USA (2009) The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – Report on political, economic and development initiatives, Information Office, Washington, DC, USA, November 2009 Accessed 30 Mar 2010 from http://www.saudiembassy.net/affairs/reports/
Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, USA (2010) Agriculture and water. Royal embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, DC USA. http://www.saudiembassy.net/about/country-information/agriculture_water/. Accessed 12 May 2010
RPWRC (2010) Red palm weevil research chair. http://www.rpwrc-ksu.org/index.php?page_id=93. Accessed 27 May 2010
SAMIRAD (2005) The Saudi Arabian market information resource. Agricultural developments in Saudi Arabia. 21 September 2005. Accessed 30 Mar 2009 from http://www.saudinf.com/main/f41.htm
Saudi Arabia Magazine (2001) Making the desert come alive. Petrol Miner. http://www.saudiembassy.net/files/PDF/Publications/Magazine/2001-Spring/Agriculture.htm. Accessed 24 May 2010
Strategic Media (2009) Cultivating sustainable agriculture. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Strategic powerhouse, global strength, Part II, special report prepared by Media Report.
Sullivan P (2003) Applying the principles of sustainable farming. Fundamentals of sustainable agriculture. The electronic version of applying the principles of sustainable farming. Accessed 30 Mar 2009 from http://www.attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/Transition.pdf
The Saudi Network (2010) Agricultural development in Saudi Arabia. http://www.the-saudi.net/saudi-arabia/agriculture.htm. Accessed 12 May 2010
The World Bank (2012) Data Available at: http://data.worldbank.org
The World University Ranking (2009) http://ksu.edu.sa/AboutKSU/Pages/qs.aspx. Accessed 24 May 2010
U.S. Department of Energy (2002) Saudi Arabia: environmental issues. Energy information administration. Accessed 30 Mar 2009 from http://www.earthscape.org/r1/ES15071/doe_saudi
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) (2000) Executive summary. The third national report for the kingdom of Saudi Arabia about the implementation of the United Nations Convention to combat desertification. UNCCD program, Switzerland
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) (2010) MDGs -Arab Kingdoms -Saudi Arabia progress towards environmental sustainability. Accessed 30 Mar 2009 from http://www.undp.org/energyandenvironment/sustainabledifference/PDFs/ArabKingdomKingdoms/SaudiArabia.pdf
United Nations Statistics Division (2009) MDG progress chart 2009. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/mdg/Resources/Static/Products/Progress2009/MDG_Report_2009_Progress_Chart_En.pdf
WHO (2008) World health statistics (2008) http://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistics/EN_WHS08_Full.pdf
Wikipedia (2010) Saudi Arabia. Accessed 3 Mar 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabia
World Development Indicators Database (2009) World Resources Institute, Washington, DC
World Health Organization (WHO) (2007) Country cooperation strategy at a glance. Accessed 30 Mar 2009 from http://www.who.int/countryfocus
Acknowledgements
The authors are extremely thankful to the Saudi Society for Agricultural Sciences, Saudi Arabia for extending the possible financial assistance for the completion of the studies. The valuable support extended for the publishing of this research is thankfully acknowledged.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Baig, M.B., Straquadine, G.S. (2014). Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Implications for Agricultural Extension and Education. In: Behnassi, M., Syomiti Muteng'e, M., Ramachandran, G., Shelat, K. (eds) Vulnerability of Agriculture, Water and Fisheries to Climate Change. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8962-2_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8962-2_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-017-8961-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-8962-2
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)