The Food Security Conference promotes Challenges Confrontation Locally and Globally

A number of participants in the sessions of the Second International Conference on Food Security and Environmental Sustainability, organized by King Faisal University, stressed the importance of establishing such gatherings to confront challenges related to food security and environmental sustainability.

Dr. Muhammad Al-Omari, Deputy Governor for Regulatory Affairs at the Public Authority for Food Security, stressed that food security is an important issue that many countries seek to achieve. He added that the Kingdom faces local challenges in this regard, such as the lack of natural resources, high agricultural production costs, and food waste rates, pointing to the government’s efforts in establishing the Public Authority for Food Security to act as a regulatory and supervisory body aimed at achieving food security at the national level.

On the other hand, Dr. Khaled Al-Abdulqader, CEO of the National Center for Vegetation and Combating Desertification, pointed out the importance of combating desertification and developing the plant sector. He stressed that cutting trees in the Kingdom is one of the most prominent causes of the deterioration of the plant sector and desertification, as he pointed to the tireless efforts made by the Kingdom in implementing afforestation projects and preserving vegetation cover, in addition to implementing monitoring programs and using technology to monitor and encourage afforestation. He pointed out that “this conference brings together scientists and specialists, as well as decision-makers in various sectors, whether governmental or private, to unify efforts and reach the best solutions to reduce these phenomena and reach effective solutions to preserve the plant sector throughout the Kingdom.”

Dr. Bandar Al-Saqhan, Director General of the General Department of Agricultural Extension at the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, pointed out the importance of participating in this event and its important recommendations that benefit officials and decision-makers in making decisions that benefit the nation. He said that artificial intelligence has a major role in raising the efficiency of agricultural production, noting that the coming days requires a shift to using advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence in agriculture. He stated that the Kingdom needs modern technologies to improve its agricultural production, considering the use of drones in agriculture and the Internet of Things to drive vehicles on farms and manage farms with computers as important steps that must be taken, which can reduce costs and agricultural labors.

For his part, Dr. Samir Al-Hujaili, Vice Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at King Faisal University, stressed the importance of biodiversity, its protection, and its relationship to food security, pointing out that food security and biodiversity are affected by each other and must be treated as two common goals, and that agricultural practices must enhance protection on biodiversity.

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