Retaining heritage and transforming production: The success of smallholder coffee farmers of Saudi Arabia
RIYADH | In Saudi Arabia, coffee is not just a beverage, it’s a cultural symbol and part of the rich heritage. Historically, coffee production is in the hands of smallholder farmers, primarily grown in the terraces of mountainous areas of Jazan, Asir, and Al Baha regions in the southwestern part of Saudi Arabia. Over the years, these farmers have encountered several production, processing and marketing constraints due to water scarcity and limited know-how, leading to low production and absence of marketing and income opportunities.
Under the ongoing Sustainable Rural Agriculture Development (SRAD) project implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), the major bottlenecks of the coffee development were identified to be inefficient utilization of the land and water resources and lack of consistency in post-harvest processing. Consequently, FAO embarked on hands-on training of farmers through demonstrations on quality production, sustainable land use management, efficient utilization of available water and strengthening supply chain through modern post-harvest practices.
Improving land and water use for sustainable production
The coffee farmers working with the Coffee component Team are continuously discarding inefficient practices and adopting modern production practices. The early adopters of are reporting significant increase in coffee yields and quality and reduced pest pressure.
These coffee farmers are
- Practicing intensive land preparation and terracing to ensure that the land is well levelled to support efficient irrigation. The shallow soils are improved by digging bigger planting holes of 90cm depth and 90cm width and filling the lower 30 cm with organic materials while the middle to top layer is filled with a mixture of topsoil and well decomposed manure.
- Supplying irrigation water right at the rootzone by use of the drip system with at least 4 emitters to ensure uniform water distribution around the plant. The watering is done at the evening, and some farmers are using automatic timers to manage irrigation.
- Pruning coffee plants which is reducing the crop water requirement and improving rejuvenation. This practice is directly exposing the pests and improving air circulation for better production.
- Applying organic manure and compost to increase the soil organic matter, soil permeability and water holding capacity.
- Adopting agroforestry. They are intercropping coffee with recommended fast growing shade trees such as poinciana (Delonix regia) and neem (Azadirachta indica). These trees create a better environment for the coffee trees and reduce crop water requirement. The litter from the trees improves the soil organic matter and soil fertility.
“It’s a new dawn for coffee farming in Saudi Arabia. I am pleased that farmers are increasing farm income by increasing quality and reducing production costs at the same time,” said Bernard Gichimu, Technical Adviser, SRAD Coffee Component.
Improving quality
Buoyed by the improved production, the coffee farmers have resolved to preserve their best coffee quality through application of the innovative Coffee Quality Management Kit (CQMK). This kit was designed by FAO for managing coffee quality on farm. The 20-piece kit enables the farmers to harvest their coffee cherries at the most desirable fully ripe stage. The quality is further enhanced through post-harvest sorting that separates the premium grades from the lower grades. The coffee is then dried to a moisture content of 11-12 percent under specified conditions and packed in hermetic bags inserted inside the gunny bags to preserve it from undesirable loss or gain of moisture.
“The wise coffee farmers Saudi Arabia are showing us how to transform agrifood systems,” said Kakoli Ghosh, Chief Technical Adviser, SRAD Project. Scaling up these modern practices across the regions, bringing more youth and women entrepreneurs into coffee farming will truly unlock the potential of the Saudi coffee to attain the coveted specialty quality.
