Project description

Title: Introducing Organic Farming in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Client: Ministry of Agriculture
Financier: Ministry of Agriculture
Country: Saudi Arabia
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Agriculture
Overall term: April 2005 - December 2010

Context

Many consumers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have concerns about food quality. They demand organic food they can trust. Many farmers and agricultural companies are looking for new farming concepts, sustainable technologies, competitive marketing potential and a legal framework for an acknowledged certification scheme.

Objective

The project’s overall objective is to develop a state-of-the-art organic sector in production, marketing and certification to satisfy consumer demands for healthy organic food. It also aims to offer farmers and producers opportunities within domestic and export markets to keep up with worldwide food production quality trends.

Approach

GTZ offers its consultancy services in the following areas:

• Government, the regulatory framework for organic farming, the role of the Ministry of Agriculture and on-the-job-training for core staff of its future organic farming division including the development of a strategy for an agricultural policy supporting and developing organic agriculture.
• Private Sector, the organisational set up of the Saudi Association for Organic Farming, including charts, organisational set-ups, management and work process, membership, business plans and related issues.
• Capacity Building, training courses, study tours to Europe, trade fair visits and know-how transfer.