JEDDAH: Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology are collaborating with local farmers and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture to address Saudi Arabia’s critical freshwater scarcity in agriculture.

The new KAUST Center of Excellence for Sustainable Food Security aims to enhance agriculture in arid regions by combining controlled environment agriculture with desalination of non-conventional water resources, according to a press release.

The initiative focuses on desalination and wastewater treatment to provide “clean enough” water for hydroponic farming of high-value crops, addressing plant health and affordability.

KAUST Environmental Science and Engineering Prof. Noreddine Ghaffour, principal investigator, said: “Why not tailor desalination technology by removing only exactly what we want removed? It will be cheaper than previous practices because we will do it with less energy, targeting specific crops.

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