The National Research and Development Center for Sustainable Agriculture (Estidamah) participated in a workshop titled “Enhancing Coffee Production and Building Partnerships in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” organized by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Riyadh. The workshop was attended by a number of specialists, researchers, and representatives of relevant entities.
During its participation, Estidamah highlighted its research efforts aimed at advancing the cultivation and production of Saudi coffee from the laboratory to the farm through a comprehensive research program covering tissue culture, water requirements and fertilization programs, agroforestry, shading technologies and greenhouses, as well as genetic research and the utilization of coffee residues to develop products with economic value.
Estidamah also showcased several of its research achievements in this field, including the development and optimization of four tissue culture protocols for major Saudi coffee varieties, as well as the production and distribution of 19,000 tissue-cultured seedlings to farmers in Al-Baha Region. The Center has also reached the final stages of registering a new plant variety and initiated the registration procedures for another variety.
The workshop addressed the current state of coffee cultivation in the Kingdom, as well as the opportunities and challenges associated with increasing its production and the knowledge resources related to Saudi coffee. Discussions also covered research priorities, partnership-building mechanisms, and areas of cooperation among stakeholders in the sector.
Participants also discussed the key challenges facing coffee cultivation, including limited water resources, the impact of climatic conditions, pests and diseases, and variations in seedling quality and agricultural practices. They also emphasized the importance of strengthening the transfer of research outputs and technologies into practical applications on farms.
Estidamah’s participation reflects its ongoing efforts to develop an integrated research ecosystem for the Saudi coffee sector, focusing on the conservation of local genetic resources, the development of propagation and genetic improvement technologies, and the application of smart agriculture technologies to enhance resource management efficiency. These efforts also aim to support farmers in adopting research-based agricultural practices, thereby contributing to sustainable production, improving the quality of Saudi coffee, and enhancing its competitiveness.