Under the patronage of His Royal Highness the Prince of the Eastern Province

His Royal Highness the Governor of Al-Ahsa inaugurates the Second International Conference on Food Security and Environmental Sustainability at King Faisal University

Under the patronage of His Royal Highness, Prince Saud bin Nayef bin Abdulaziz, The Governor of Eastern Province, His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Talal bin Badr, the Governor of Al-Ahsa, opened the Second International Conference on Food Security and Environmental Sustainability. The conference, which is held and organized at King Faisal University started on Sunday and extended for three days. King Faisal University hosts the conference in cooperation with its strategic partners, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and the Public Authority for Food Security. The university president, Dr. Muhammad Al-Ohali, the Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Mansour Al-Mushaiti, and a number of senior officials and specialists in food sector attended the opening ceremony.

The university president of KFU delivered a speech in which he welcomed the attendees and stressed that all sectors of the university enjoy great support and continuous care from our wise government led by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and His Highness the Crown Prince, Prince Muhammad bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz.

The university president expressed his gratitude to His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, the Governor of the Eastern Province, for his generous sponsorship of the conference's works as well as his continuous follow-up to the university and his great interest in its activities and programs. The University President also extended his sincere thanks to His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Talal bin Badr, the Governor of Al-Ahsa, for his attendance expressing his happiness for the great interest and support that KFU receives from His Highness out of his belief in its role and societal and national contributions.

His Excellency the Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Engineer Mansour Al-Mushaiti, confirmed that the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture continues to achieve sustainability through its work in developing an innovative and prosperous ecosystem that is sustainable and preserves the environment, achieves water security and contributes to achieving food security and enhancing quality of life.

His Excellency added that the language of numbers is the best evidence of what has been achieved. In terms of food security, the Kingdom has achieved high rates of self-sufficiency in many strategic crops, including more than a million tons in wheat cultivation (25% of the wheat crop), Vegetables (78%), Red meat (60%), Poultry (69%), Dates (124%). Furthermore, financing for agricultural investments has also been increased in recent years, and the volume of agricultural loans provided for sector investments from the Agricultural Development Fund has increased to (7) billion riyals by the end of 2022 AD, which was 500 million in 2015

His Highness, the Governor of Al-Ahsa, honored the strategic partners, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and the Public Authority for Food Security. His Highness also honored the winners of the hackathon, and he also sponsored the signing of a number of agreements between King Faisal University and a group of entities.

The conference comes in light of the “Green Saudi Arabia and Green Middle East” initiatives launched by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince for the sake of environmental sustainability, and based on the institutional identity of King Faisal University, which aims to contribute to achieving food security and environmental sustainability.

The conference aims to scrutinize the state reality of food security on national, regional, and international levels, tackle its challenges, and develop sustainable strategies and policies. These objectives align with the sustainability and innovation goals of the University’s Institutional Identity, reflecting the University’s ambition to highlight the latest scientific developments and successful experiences worldwide related to food security and environmental sustainability.

The conference includes a number of scientific sessions, workshops, and associated events, including (the associated scientific exhibition, scientific lectures, scientific workshops, and the Food Security and Environmental Sustainability Hackathon) with a participation of many governmental, private, and non-profit sectors.