Saudi Arabia has etched its name in the Guinness World Records with a monumental achievement in agriculture. An extension farm of the Research Unit for Renewable Water Agriculture located in Wadi Bin Hashbal, Asir region, has been recognised as the world’s largest farm in terms of area.
The accolade was officially acknowledged in a ceremony organised by the Saudi Reef Program at its headquarters in Riyadh. The Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al Fadhli, was honoured to receive the certificate of registration on this historic occasion.
Spanning a colossal area of 3.2 million square meters, the farm is bifurcated into two sections, each equipped with a concrete tank boasting a capacity of 500 cubic meters. The farm embodies a pinnacle of sustainable agriculture, employing an automatic irrigation network to nourish all crops across the two expansive fields. It houses five air-conditioned greenhouses along with several other structures.
A robust system of water treatment underpins the irrigation methodology at the farm, organised through numerous stages by a cadre of experts spanning various disciplines such as irrigation, fertilisation, prevention, and equipment management. They oversee a total of 50 fields dedicated to fruit trees, alongside 20 additional fields earmarked for reclamation and cultivation in the near future.
Among the notable produce are lemons, oranges, tangerines, pomegranates, grapes, figs, almonds, and olives. The farm also hosts experimental fields, incubating a myriad of diverse agricultural varieties, exemplifying the innovation and sustainability at the heart of this agricultural marvel.
