Lime-flavoured memories drive innovation on Saudi farm

Mohamed Alnwairan stands in front of a verdant citrus tree which four months hence will bear his first harvest of limes.

A former businessman turned farmer, he has been cultivating land in Al Ahsa, in the eastern deserts of Saudi Arabia, for the last 15 years. Now, due to climate change and dwindling supplies of water, he is adopting new technology as well as a new crop.

“We are very proud of our limes in this part of Saudi Arabia. You can feel the citrus oil on your hands when you touch them,” he told UN News. “They remind us of our childhood, and now I have the chance to grow them commercially.”

Mr. Alnwairan looks across his small farm which is located in an oasis near the city of Hofuf. It is approximately a thousand square metres, and the sandy soil is dotted with some 120 two-metre-high trees that have been growing for almost four years.

Smart irrigation

“On my left are trees which have been irrigated using innovative techniques and to the right are the ones I have been hand watering using traditional methods,” he said. “The irrigated trees are thriving more.”

The difference in colour, shape and sturdiness is noticeable, and their robust health is largely due to the way they have been watered.

Mr. Alnwairan’s farm is piloting what is known as smart irrigation, a resource-efficient approach to growing crops, which is being promoted in this region by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

He uses an app on his smartphone to monitor the soil and track and deliver the water his lime trees need to flourish. When it rains, sensors register the damp conditions and pause scheduled water provisions. If the trees are not getting enough water, the app can instruct a greater water flow, if necessary, all remotely.

Water stress

Water used to be plentiful in the oasis farmland, but reduced rainfall due to climate change and the cultivation of water-thirsty rice, a local specialty, has driven the water table lower making water more problematic and pricier to access.

Mr. Alnwairan had to stop farming rice on another nearby plot when the water in his well fell to 300 metres below ground.

Mahmoud Abdelnabby, an irrigation expert with FAO, said that “smart irrigation can reduce water consumption by 70 per cent and is more sustainable for the environment.”

Farmers don’t currently have to pay for water, but automation provides other savings as fewer farm workers are needed to water the trees, a time consuming and onerous job during the intense heat of the Saudi growing season.

The technology whilst advanced is readily available on the local market and although financial investment is required, “it pays off in higher yields and a lower wage bill,” according to FAO’s Mr. Abdelnabby.

Land lost

As the climate continues to change across the desert lands of Saudi Arabia and drought conditions increase in frequency, farmers are also fighting desertification and the loss of productive land.

Jaffar Almubarak, who works for the Saudi Irrigation Organization, an FAO partner, said, “smart irrigation is part of an integrated response to climate change, which includes soil management and the choice of crops,” adding that “such an approach can maximise the use of water, but also help to rehabilitate land and work against desertification.”

In December 2024, global leaders from governments, international organizations, the private sector and civil society came together in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, under the auspices of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to discuss solutions to drought, land loss and land restoration.

Globally, up to 40 per cent of the world's land is degraded, which has dire consequences for the climate, biodiversity and people’s livelihoods.

Like farmers across the world, Mr. Alnwairan exercises his long experience and expertise to increase his crop yields, driven by necessity and opportunity.

“I’m considering adopting smart irrigation across my farm to focus on mainly the cultivation of lime, for which I have a ready market,” he said.

If other farmers follow his lead, water supplies will go further in these arid lands while cultivation will help to slow down desertification.