RIYADH: The National Research and Development Center for Sustainable Agriculture, or Estidamah, concluded its participation in the 17th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, showcasing Saudi Arabia’s advanced agricultural solutions for arid environments.
“The center, as part of the Kingdom’s delegation participating in COP17, presented its expertise and research achievements in water efficiency, increasing productivity and accelerating crop development; reflecting the contribution of Saudi Arabia’s agricultural research in addressing the challenges of arid lands and enhancing food security,” Estidamah said on Friday.
The 17th session of the COP17 to the UNCCD took place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from Aug. 17-28, focusing on combating desertification, land degradation and drought, with a major emphasis on rangelands and pastoralist communities during the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026.
Mongolia is the first country in East and Central Asia to host a UNCCD COP, addressing a critical situation where nearly 77 percent of its own territory faces land degradation.
Estidamah presented key research findings on the impact of high-tech greenhouses on agricultural efficiency, notably reducing water consumption to produce 1 kg of tomatoes from 350 liters in open-field cultivation to 4.9 liters, while increasing yield from 5 to 99 kg per sq. meter, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
In crop development, the center highlighted rapid breeding techniques and extended photoperiods that can produce five wheat varieties annually, shortening breeding cycles from eight years to three to four years and accelerating the development of climate-resilient local varieties.
The presentations covered precision farming tools using sensors, satellite data and drones for smart irrigation scheduling, targeted fertilization, salinity monitoring and early pest and disease detection.
Estidamah also demonstrated soilless farming, water recycling, palm waste as a local growing medium, and trials with more than 200 local biofertilizers.
Additionally, the center presented vertical farming solutions to scale duckweed cultivation as an alternative sustainable protein source, underscoring Saudi Arabia’s expanding role in advancing sustainable agricultural research, natural resource conservation and global food security.
