Current situation

Economic Perspective of Protected Cultivation in the

Arabian Peninsula
Dr Ahmed T. Moustafa,
Protected Agriculture Spcialists and Regional Coordintor,
Arabian Peninsula Regional Program,ICARDA

1. Introduction
The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)
which established in 1977 is one of the 15 centers supported by the Consultative
Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). With its main research sta-
tion and offices based in Aleppo, Syria, ICARDA works through a network of part-
nerships with national, regional
and international institutions,
universities, non-governmental
organizations and ministries in
the developing world; and with

First Workshop on Investment in Protected Cultivation in GCC Countries

advanced research institutes in
industrialized countries.
The geographic mandate of
ICARDA covers the countries of
Central and West Asia and North Af-
rica (CWANA), as well as developing
countries with subtropical and temperate
dry areas.
ICARDA is a center without walls. It maintains a research continuum through close
partnerships with both developing-country and advanced national agricultural re-
search systems [NARS]. The expression research continuum is a very broad concept
and is used here in the context of collaborative research
management and implementation between various
partners. It covers matters such as: priority setting,
project formulation, project implementation, moni-
toring of research activities, technology transfer,
and feedback from field to headquarters.

Arabian Peninsula Regional Program (APRP)

In 1998 ICARDA established special regional program for the Arabian Peninsula
Countries. The Arabian Peninsula Regional Program (APRP) serves seven coun-

19
 Economic Perspective of Protected Cultivation in the Arabian Peninsula

tries namely, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, the Unit-
ed Arab Emirates, and the Republic of Yemen. The program addresses three priority
themes: (i) rangelands, forage and livestock; (ii) protected agriculture; and (iii) water
resources management. These themes are supported by research in agroecological
characterization and stress physiology.
Protected Agriculture in the Arabian Peninsula
Protected Agriculture (PA) proven to be an ideal system of production in the Arabian
Peninsula (AP), given the constraints of land and water. PA plays an important role in
supplying the region’s markets with fresh and healthy products that cannot be grown
otherwise. PA can significantly reduce the use of water, fertilizer and other chemicals
required to produce high-value crops.
The main problems associated with such dynamic Agro-industry in the region were
identified:
• Excessive use of water, fertilizers and chemicals
• Low productivity per unit area
• Problems with GH and Crop management
First Workshop on Investment in Protected Cultivation in GCC Countries

Figure 1- Production Levels of Open Field & Protected Agriculture in Abu Dhabi

Figure 2 -Productivity of 1m3 of water in Protected Agriculture & Open Field

20
 Current situation

Protected agriculture—with its associated growing systems—can significantly re-

duce the amount of water and fertilizers utilized in growing high value fresh prod-
ucts compared to open field production. and can significantly increase yield and
quality of high value crops (figure 1 & 2)
The comparative advantages of protected agriculture over open field production can
be summarized as follows:
1. Crops can be produced year round regardless of season, so multiple cropping on
the same unit of land is possible. The flexibility of the system means that farm-
ers can take advantage of market seasonality and higher prices.
2. Protected agriculture allows the production of high quality and healthy seedlings
for transplanting to open fields, supporting earlier cropping and stronger, more
resistant crop stands.
3. Protective housing provides protection for high value crops from unfavorable
weather conditions, pests and diseases.
4. Use of protected agriculture can increase production by more than five fold, and
increases productivity per unit of land, water, energy, and labor.

First Workshop on Investment in Protected Cultivation in GCC Countries

5. Protective agriculture supports the production of high quality and clean prod-
ucts.
Efficiency in water use is considered one of the most important future of protected
agriculture. By adopting more efficient new growing systems and techniques, pro-
tected agriculture can reduce environmental degradation in comparison with open
field production by
1. considerably reducing the amount of water and fertilizers used to grow the prod-
uct,
2. reducing the potential contamination of ground water by fertilizers, insecticides,
fungicides and other chemicals,
3. facilitating the possibility of economically producing healty or chemical free
products, and
4. Eliminating the use of the toxic pesticides and insecticides with improved inte-
grated plant production and protection management (IPPM), aimed at preventing
infestation and use of non-toxic controls.
Adopting protected agriculture will significantly increase income per unit of water
and land. For example in Kuwait total area of vegetable production under PA is only
15% of total areas for vegetables crops but its share in production quantity and pro-
duction value is 20% and 37% respectively. Greenhouse produces has better quality
and higher price in the market while produced with less amount of water.

21
 Economic Perspective of Protected Cultivation in the Arabian Peninsula

Figure 3- Area, Production and Crop Value of vegetables under Protected Agriculture (PA)
and Open field (OF) in Kuwait

In UAE, based on Ministry of Environment and Water statistics in 2005, production

of vegetable crops per unit of land under PA was almost 6 times grater than the same
in open field (Figure 4).

Figure 4- Area and Production of vegetable under Protected Agriculture (PA) and Open
field (OF) in UAE (Source: MEW, UAE 2005)
First Workshop on Investment in Protected Cultivation in GCC Countries

The production of tomato from open field in UAE were 5 kg/m2 while under pro-
tected agriculture, the m2 produced 76 kg. Similar resulted could observed with
cucumber and peppers (figure 5).

Figure 5- production (Kg/m2) for Tomato, Cucumber and Pepper in UAE during 2005 in
Open field and Protected Agriculture (Source: MEW, UAE 2005)

22
 Current situation

2- Highlight of ICARDA’s main activities on Protected Agriculture in the

Arabian Peninsula
Integrated Production and Protection Management (IPPM)
The extensive use of chemicals to control diseases and pests in greenhouses results
in complex problems of insect resistance, and health and environmental hazards.
Crops can be protected by control measures that avoid heavy reliance on pesticides,
thereby reducing use of hazardous chemicals. These control measures are part of an
Integrated Production and Protection Management (IPPM) program developed by
APRP and implemented in all AP research stations and in pilot private farms. IPPM
components are including:
• GH climate management
• Irrigation and fertilization management
• Agro-management & practices
• Mechanical protection
• Biological control
• Chemical control

First Workshop on Investment in Protected Cultivation in GCC Countries

IPPM techniques were introduced and successfully practiced by growers. Plants
were strong and healthy, and had low incidences of pests and disease.
As a part of the IPPM program, soil solarization techniques were developed and
simplified for growers and technical booklet published. The technique was imple-
mented on the research stations and private farms with excellent results, avoiding
the use of hazardous chemicals. The booklet is available at http://www.icarda.org/
aprp/PDF/slz2.pdf.
Applying IPPM techniques for protected agriculture resulted in:
• 80% reduction on agro-
chemical use in protected
agriculture greenhouses in
Yemen
• 61% increase in yield in
Oman
• 45% increase in greenhouse
grower incomes in Yemen
• 15% increase in grower
cucumber production in
Oman
• > 50% water saving in all
AP countries. Figure 6- Application of Integrated Production & Protec-
tion Management Program Total Yield (kg)

23
 Economic Perspective of Protected Cultivation in the Arabian Peninsula

Increasing water use efficiency with soil-less culture in greenhouses

The quantity and quality of water required to produce high value crops is practically
impossible to obtain in a dry region such as the AP. The underground water level has
rapidly declined and the water has increasing salt content. Expensive desalination is
necessary for good quality fresh water.

Soil-less techniques can improve water use efficiency, and water and fertilizer man-
agement in crop production. The main objectives are to increase yield quality and
quantity per unit of water, area, and manpower. The soil-less growing techniques
developed and adapted by ICARDA are being adopted in AP countries.
First Workshop on Investment in Protected Cultivation in GCC Countries

Adopting Soilless Culture Techniques is quite easy. The required materials are stand-
ard. Equipment for measuring pH and conductivity as well as ready-made nutrient
solutions for soilless culture is available on the market. It is the management and
experience that is crucial for the success of the system. It is advised that workers (re-
searchers, extension agents and growers) should start small with soilless techniques
and develop confidence in the system.
Different production systems for different crops were introduced to small-scale
growers (ICARDA 2007). For production of cash crops such as strawberries and
beans, the vertical soilless production system was adapted to maximize space by
vertical orientation. This technique for strawberry has been under investigation for
many years in the region (ICARDA 2007 and S. Oraifan and A. Moustafa 2003).
The system proved successfully for high production, low cost and water saving.
The fundamental structure of the system is columns which consist of 8-12 growing
containers on top of each other. The crops are planted in the four corners of these
containers. Nutrition solution is re-circulated in a closed system. The growing con-
tainers are made locally and the system can be installed in any greenhouse or even
in open field.
Agro-economic comparison between vertical soilless and traditional soil bed systems
was conducted based on cost and production data reported by a private grower (S.
Oraifan and A. Moustafa 2003). The greenhouse area used in the study was 20,000
m2 and 6,000 m2 for the soil bed and hydroponics systems, respectively. The total
cost of production in the vertical soil-less system is 40% less than soil beds. While

24
 Current situation

production per unit area increased by

four times, production per unit of waterr
increased by 70%.
Strawberry production using the Ver-
tical Hydroponics system was highly
successful, with several advantages
over the traditional soil-bed production
system:
1. 30-50% savings in the cost of pro-
duction materials
2. More yield per unit of water
3. Double yield per square meter Figure 7 -Yield Comparison between soil bed
4. The production season was longer and Hydroponics production systems

5. Early production increased growers’ income due to high prices early in the sea-
son.
6. Pest and disease incidence were far less than that with soil beds. As a result,

First Workshop on Investment in Protected Cultivation in GCC Countries

fewer chemicals were used.
7. The vertical system can also be used for other crops.
Implementing soilless culture techniques (Hydroponics) with Protected Agriculture
would add more benefits. The soilless culture advantage over normal soil bed sys-
tems are includes
1. Provide very efficient use of water by reclaiming and reusing;
2. Shorter cropping cycle allows for more crops within the season;
3. Top quality crops grown out of the depleted or contaminated soil;
4. Increased production per unit area;
5. Reduction in labor requirement by more than 50%;
6. Increased job satisfaction among workers;
7. Better control of water and nutrients;
8. Elimination of the costly operations such as sterilization , soil cultivation , base
fertilizers and weed control;
The main disadvantages of soilless systems are the initial cost and the increased
technical demands on the management. The cost of installing such system is high
and at first sight may even seem prohibitive. But when we consider the value of the
increased production and savings occurred in labor, water, energy and fertilizers we
can easily conclude that the initial investment can be recovered within a short time.

25
 Economic Perspective of Protected Cultivation in the Arabian Peninsula

3- Expert system for crop protection and fertigation management

“Expert system” is a computer program combining experimental and experiential
knowledge with the intuitive reasoning skills of many specialists to aid growers,
extension agents, and researchers in making decisions about crops and management.
The benefits of expert systems include:
First Workshop on Investment in Protected Cultivation in GCC Countries

1. An easily understood technology package for researchers, extension agents, and

growers.
2. A reduced cost of information dissemination.
3. Upgraded capacity of extension agents, by improving their knowledge and self-
esteem.
4. Provide the expertise, knowledge, and advice needed to solve production prob-
lems, enhance management practices, leading to increase productivity.
These expert systems can be found under http://www.icarda.org/aprp/IT.htm.

26
 Current situation

4- Conclusion
Protected Agriculture provides an excellent condition for increasing productivity per
unit of water and land in the Arabian Peninsula. This is very important considering
the harsh environment, limited arable land and scary water resources in the Arabian
Peninsula.
Comparing to open field, the protected agriculture has great potential for providing
high quality cash crops to the markets. Production can be significantly increased by
using modern technology such as IPPM and soilless culture.

5- References
1. .Al Rawahy, M.; Al-Harthy, A.; Abdulmajid, A.; Al-Raissy, F.; Al-Makhmary, S. and
Moustafa, A.T. 2002. Adaptation of Soilless Growing Techniques (Closed and Open
Systems) in Oman Presented at 2nd Protected Agriculture Regional Technical Co-
ordination Meeting, 20-23 January 2002 Kuwait
2. Abdel Razag, I.M and Moustafa A.T. 2000. Protected Agriculture Research Program
in Bahrain. Proceedings of Expert Consultation Meeting (ECM) on Integrated Pro-
duction and Protection Management (IPPM) for Protected Agriculture in the Arabian

First Workshop on Investment in Protected Cultivation in GCC Countries

Peninsula. 16-17 October 2000 Dubai, UAE
3. Alshankiti, A.; Moustafa, A.T. and Ian McCann, 2003. Development of Informa-
tion Technology Systems for Agriculture and Natural Resource Management in the
Arabian Peninsula. Proceedings of 7th International Conference on Development
of Dry Land – “Sustainable Development and Management of Dry Land in the 21st
Century”, Tehran, Iran 14-17 September 2003.
4. Cooper, A.J. 1973. Rapid crop turn-round is possible with experimental nutrient film
technique. The Grower 79: 1048-1052
5. Cooper, A.J. 1975. Crop production in reticulating nutrient solution. Scientia Horti-
culture 3: 251-258
6. McCann, I.R., and A.T. Moustafa. 1999. Agricultural water management in the Ara-
bian Peninsula. In: Proc. 6th Int. Conf. On the Development of Dry Lands. Cairo,
Egypt.
7. Moustafa, A. T.; A. Al Bakri; M. Al Rawahi; A. Mohammadi and R. Ahmed. 2003.
Development of soilless growing techniques for production of high quality cash
crops using less water in the Arabian Peninsula. Proceeding of the seventh Interna-
tional Conference on the Development of Dry lands. 14-17 Sep 2003. Tehran. Iran.
P 485-488.
8. Moustafa, A. T.; Amegbeto, K.; Wadid, M.; El-Abd, S.; and A. Nejatian 2005. Im-
proving Rural Livelihood in Afghanistan through the Promotion of Sustainable Pro-
duction Techniques for High Value Crops. Proceedings of 8th International Con-
ference on Dry Land Development – “Human and Nature – Working Together for
Sustainable Development of Dry Lands”, Beijing, China, 25-28 February 2006.
9. Moustafa, A. T.; Oraifan, S. and A. Nejatian, 2005. High Density Cropping System

27
 Economic Perspective of Protected Cultivation in the Arabian Peninsula

for Cash Crop Production in Marginal Land with Less Water”. Proceedings of 8th
International Conference on Dry Land Development – “Human and Nature – Work-
ing Together for Sustainable Development of Dry Lands”, China, 25-28 Feb 2006.
10.Moustafa, A.T. 2000. Integrated production and protection management for Protect-
ed Agriculture in the Arabian Peninsula. Presented at: Expert Consultation Meeting
(ECM) on Integrated Production and Protection Management (IPPM) for Protected
Agriculture in the Arabian Peninsula. 16-17 October 2000 Dubai, UAE
11.Moustafa, A.T. 2001. Soilless Culture in the Arabian Peninsula.. Research and Im-
plementation. Paper presented at the Expert Consultation Meeting for Soilless Cul-
ture in the Arab World. November 2001. Amman, Jordan.
12.Moustafa, A.T. and A. Al-mohammadi.1998. Protected agriculture in the Arabian
Peninsula: A strategy and work plan for research and transfer of technology. Inter-
national Workshop on protected Agriculture in the Arabian Peninsula, Doha, Qatar,
and 15-18 February 1998
13.Moustafa, A.T., 2002. Soilless culture for high value crops, Al-Morshed Magazine
(Ar.), May, 2002.
14.Moustafa, A.T., Al-Mohammadi, A. and K. Amar.1997. A water efficient technique
for the production of cucumber in greenhouses. Proc. 1st Annual conference & exhi-
bition in water technology, Doha, Qatar, March 1997.
First Workshop on Investment in Protected Cultivation in GCC Countries

15.Moustafa, A.T., Al-Mohammadi, A; Abou-Hadid, A and J.M. Peacock. 1998. Pro-

tected Agriculture in the Arabian Peninsula. Summary Proceedings of an Interna-
tional Workshop. February 1998, Doha, Qatar. ICARDA, Aleppo, Syria. X + 104
16.Moustafa, A.T.; Bakri, A.; Al Rawahi, M.; Al-Mohammadi, A. and Rashed Ahmed,
2003. Development of Soilless Growing Techniques for the Production of High
Quality Cash Crops with Less Water in the Arabian Peninsula. Poster at 7th Inter-
national Conference on Development of Dry Land – “Sustainable Development and
Management of Dry Land in the 21st Century”, Tehran, Iran 14-17 Seb 03.
17.Moustafa, A.T.; Oraifan, S; Bakri, A. and Arash Nejatian. 2006. “High density crop-
ping system for cash crop production in marginal land with less water”. Human and
nature working together for sustainable development of dry lands, proceeding of the
eight international conference on development of dry lands, 25-28 Feb 2006, Bei-
jing, China. Page# 839-842.
18.Moustafa, A.T.and Walid Abu Gharbieh, 2002. Soil Solarization for Protected Agri-
culture, Al-Morshed Magazine (Ar.), February 2002.
19.Oraifan, S. and Moustafa, A.T. 2003. Agro-economic Assessment of Hydroponics
Production System in the Arabian Peninsula: Sustainable Production System of
Cash Crops from Less Water. Poster presented at 7th International Conference on
Development of Dry Land – “Sustainable Development and Management of Dry
Land in the 21st Century”, Tehran, Iran 14-17 September 2003.
20.Oraifan, S.; S. Al Attar, M. Jamal, M. Rashid, A. Hassan and J. Al Nagari. 2005. Ver-
tical techniques for cultivation of strawberry adapted. ICARDA Arabian Peninsula
Regional Program. Annual Repot 2004/2005. Page 43-44

28