Research Institute Presents Innovative Strategy for Managing Agricultural Soil Salinity in Muscat
The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research presented an innovative strategy for managing agricultural soil salinity to support food security during its participation in the Muscat conference.
Translated by Qiyas from الأنباء — Original source
A delegation from the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) reviewed its innovative strategic framework for managing soil salinity in agricultural lands, aimed at supporting food security, during its participation in the “Arab Innovators and Creators Conference” in the Omani capital, Muscat.
Dr. Amal Al-Kandari, a participating research scientist at the Institute’s Center for Environment and Life Sciences Research and head of the delegation, told KUNA that she and other members of the Center’s Food Security Program participated in the conference proceedings to highlight the challenge of soil salinity, which plagues most Gulf countries.
She added that she and the architects of the strategy, titled “Kuwait’s Innovative Strategy for Managing Soil Salinity in Agricultural Lands to Support Food Security,” are persistently working to secure its official adoption before its regional dissemination, emphasizing their commitment to finding permanent solutions to what she termed the “silent crisis.”
In this regard, she clarified that healthy soil and good-quality water form the “cornerstone” of agricultural production and food security, pointing out the threat posed by “soil salinization” amid increasing climate variability, growing pressure on freshwater resources, and rising evaporation rates.
Al-Kandari noted that salinization is no longer just a local agricultural problem but has become a “national strategic challenge requiring a coordinated response.” She pointed out that a soil salinity assessment in the Northern Agricultural Area (Abdali) revealed that salt levels in more than 95 percent of the farms included in the study reached “alarming levels,” putting optimal crop production and food security “at risk,” thereby necessitating the formulation of a strategy for agricultural land management.
She affirmed that the evidence-based strategic framework represents a “pivotal shift” from limited immediate treatments to a “comprehensive and proactive approach” for assessing and managing agricultural land salinity, thereby improving farm productivity in Kuwait.
For his part, KISR researcher Dhafer Al-Shammari told KUNA that the prepared strategy offers a comprehensive “roadmap” for multiple stakeholders, including researchers, extension service providers, farmers, and policymakers, to build collective consensus that enhances the productivity of irrigated farms under saline conditions across various agricultural systems in Kuwait for the sake of food security.
He added that the strategy would equip Kuwaiti farmers and national extension services with appropriate knowledge and skills to help them use their farm resources sustainably by selecting crops tailored to salinity levels.
For her part, KISR researcher Shikha Al-Zamil told KUNA that a primary objective of the strategy is the optimal use and efficient management of soil and groundwater resources by adopting integrated (physical, chemical, hydrological, and biological) methods to rehabilitate salt-affected farms, alongside preparing the ground for decision-makers and extension services.
Regarding the soil salinity assessment in the Abdali area, Al-Zamil explained that it was conducted after 100 soil samples were collected from a depth of 0 to 30 centimeters from 100 farms, and the samples were then analyzed to measure the electrical conductivity of saturated soil paste extracts.
She noted that out of the 100 farms, 98 were affected by salinity at the specified depth in the Abdali agricultural area, with salinity levels ranging from moderate to very high.
Regarding the most prominent observations noted prior to drafting the strategic framework, KISR researcher Abdulrahman Al-Anzi told KUNA that soil salinization in the surface and sub-surface layers was observed in the Abdali agricultural area, where semi-saline water was used to irrigate crops.
He clarified that as a result,
The plants show a clear surface salt crust, along with stunted growth and either no fruit production or fruits that are smaller than usual in date palms, while the plants were found either dead or on the verge of death in the saline patches.
