JEDDAH: More than 55 speakers from 35 countries are set to take part in the first International Forum and Exhibition for Sustainable Agriculture, which opens on Monday in Riyadh.

The three-day forum, organized by the National Research and Development Center for Sustainable Agriculture, will be inaugurated by the Kingdom’s Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadhley.

The event aims to improve knowledge sharing between researchers and experts in the field, aid the development of closer relationships and professional networks, and nurture innovation.

The first day’s agenda will focus on maximizing the use of natural resources in agricultural production.

Naser Eddin Al-Obaid, director-general of the Arab Center for Studies of Arid Zones and Drylands, will be the keynote speaker.

Discussions will cover topics such as sustainable water use, methods to enhance agricultural output via soil enhancement, and the use of wild plant species and biological stimulants to bolster production.

The second day of the forum will discuss the idea of digital agriculture, with David Muath, director of the Precision Agriculture Center at the University of Minnesota in the US, as the main speaker.

A later session, titled “Smart Agriculture Digitally and Environmentally,” will feature Abdulaziz Al-Malik, undersecretary of the environment and water ministry’s research and innovation agency, as the main speaker, while Thaer Al-Yasmin, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s regional manager for plant protection for the Near East and North Africa, will also lead a discussion.

Abdulhakeem Al-Waer, assistant director-general for the same region, will be the keynote speaker at a forum looking at marketing and sustainable food value chains.

The concurrent exhibition will showcase the latest innovations and products in the field of sustainable agriculture from more than 35 companies and organizations.