By Ghadeer Ghloum

KUWAIT: “The question confronting the world by the end of the 21st century would be food security and conservation.” This is what horticulturalist Athari Al-Mutawaa told Kuwait Times in an interview when she spoke about Kuwait’s challenges of finding harmony between sustainable farming practices that protect biodiversity and the importance to enhance agricultural productivity.

Kuwait Times: What are some of the challenges faced by the agriculture sector in Kuwait in relation to biodiversity conservation?

Al-Mutawaa: Agriculture in itself affects biodiversity because of population growth. Especially with new urban development there is more pressure to change natural landscapes into farming areas to meet the increasing consumption demands. Also, these agricultural areas or farms may use chemical pesticides or soil additives (hydrogels/chemical fertilizers) that may have a lasting impact on the natural biota affecting the balance of our ecosystem. The greatest challenge I would have to say in terms of agriculture in relation to biodiversity is human needs.

Feeding the masses would take precedent over biodiversity conservation especially in the wake of climate change where Kuwait’s greatest limitation is that there are little natural water resources. The cardinal question by the end of the 21st century would be food security or conservation. Although native plants may hold the answer to this dilemma as if they have the ability to withstand high temperatures and low water, they may be used to create genetically modified produces that can cater to the masses.

KT: Are there any governmental policies or regulations in place to protect biodiversity and agriculture in Kuwait?

Al-Mutawaa: There are regulations: Executive regulations of the Seeds and Seedlings Law (Regulation) for the Gulf Cooperation Council countries approved by Law No (3) of 2013 of the State of Kuwait. This law protects native wildlife in terms of seeds collection and resale of native plants.

KT: How can farmers and agricultural stakeholders in Kuwait contribute to the conservation of biodiversity?

Al-Mutawaa: Farmers and agricultural stakeholders can help through a variety of methods, such as: Educating farmers on better farming practices to optimize resources, better monitoring of safe farming practices and food quality (pesticide), providing subsidies to create smart greenhouses (technology towards precision farming), using forecasts for agricultural production based on consumer demands, applying a farm to fork strategy, supporting more local produce when it comes to market prices.

There should be a shift towards reducing waste loss by recycling and reusing organic material, maybe through creating a circular agricultural food system. By creating factories to produce food products that can be exported, we can also expand the food industry in Kuwait and provide storage facilities that can be rented out for storing long-term perishables.