Agriculture During the Reign of King Abdulaziz

Agriculture during the reign of King Abdulaziz refers to the state of agriculture under the Founding King, Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, and the measures he took to advance this sector—both in areas where agriculture was established prior to the founding of the Saudi state and the unification of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in newly developed agricultural regions.

State of agriculture at the beginning of King Abdulaziz's reign

Arable land during the reign of King Abdulaziz was limited due to the arid desert terrain and water scarcity across most Saudi lands. Exceptions included areas where groundwater or floodwaters were available after heavy rains, such as Al-Ahsa, Al-Qatif, and the Yabreen oases in the Eastern Province; Al-Kharj in Riyadh region; Wadi Fatimah and Taif in Makkah al-Mukarramah region; agricultural lands in Al-Madinah al-Munawwarah, Hail, and several oases in northern Saudi Arabia; and the southern regions of the country (Aseer, Al-Bahah, Najran, and Jazan).

Crops grown in these areas primarily included date palms, vegetables, alfalfa, and grains such as wheat, barley, rice, sorghum, millet, sesame, and wheat varieties, along with certain types of fruits and sugarcane.

Agricultural hijras during the reign of King Abdulaziz

In 1912, the Founding King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud adopted a program to settle nomadic Bedouins in agricultural hijras (settlements) and train them in farming—a project with significant economic and social dimensions. More than 170 hijras were established during the reign of King Abdulaziz.

Agricultural administrative regulations during the reign of King Abdulaziz

A number of administrative instructions and regulations were issued to govern agriculture during the reign of King Abdulaziz. These specifically focused on resolving agricultural disputes, managing relationships between farmers and tenants of public and private agricultural lands, regulating agricultural contracts, forming elected agricultural bodies to oversee farming matters and support farmers, encouraging the establishment of agricultural companies, and combating agricultural pests.

In 1930, a Royal Decree was issued granting ownership deeds to anyone who revived dead (barren) land. Five years later, another Royal Decree was issued to regulate land reclamation and prevent the haphazard revival of fallow lands. In 1948, Saudi Arabia joined international agricultural organizations affiliated with the United Nations, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Establishment of the Directorate General of Agriculture during the reign of King Abdulaziz

The year 1948 witnessed the establishment of the Directorate General of Agriculture, which initially reported to the Ministry of Finance before being transferred to the Ministry of Interior. Headquartered in Jeddah, it operated branches across most of the country's agricultural regions. The Directorate imported irrigation pumps and distributed them to farmers on long-term installment plans, imported two artesian drilling rigs to extract groundwater, constructed dams to utilize wadi waters, and regulated the use of agricultural spring water. It also plowed lands at nominal fees, introduced 30,000 windbreak trees for afforestation, and distributed over 6,000 fruit trees of various types to farmers free of charge.

Furthermore, the Directorate established several model farms, nurseries, dairy and hatching facilities, and poultry farming fields to improve agricultural production—most notably the Al-Kharj Agricultural Project. It offered government lands for lease in exchange for a one-tenth share of their yield. In 1950, it provided soft loans exceeding SAR 1.1 million to farmers to purchase modern machinery and repair irrigation canals.

The Directorate General of Agriculture also recruited agricultural engineers and missions from Arab and foreign nations—including Iraq, Egypt, Syria, and the United States—to educate and train local farmers, resolve operational challenges, and repair and maintain machinery by setting up specialized regional workshops and laboratories. Additionally, American geologists were brought in to prospect for groundwater.

King Abdulaziz issued orders to distribute seeds and bags of wheat, barley, and grain. In 1942, he issued directives to distribute financial subsidies, fruit trees, and fertilizers to farmers. Creditors were prohibited from foreclosing on agricultural mortgages, while the Ministry of Finance stepped in to provide accessible loans to farmers. Agricultural machinery and equipment were exempted from customs duties, and the government imported farming machinery to make it available to farmers via installment plans.

Following the passing of the Founding King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, specifically on December 24, 1953, a new Council of Ministers was formed, which included the creation of the Ministry of Agriculture, appointing Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz as its first minister.