Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture

The Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture (MEWA) is the entity responsible for regulating and implementing comprehensive policies to achieve water and food security in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Its mission is to support the agricultural movement and improve services, in collaboration with the private sector and relevant authorities, to achieve sustainability of the environment, water, and agriculture.

The ministry was established in 1953 as one of the eight ministries founded prior to the first Council of Ministers meeting. These ministries include, according to their current names, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services, and Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture.

Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz was the first to hold the position of Minister of Agriculture in the Kingdom during the reign of King Saud Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The ministry runs its business from its headquarters in Riyadh and is headed by a minister appointed by a Royal Decree, who has primary responsibility for the ministry and is a member of the Council of Ministers. His position includes chairing the board of directors of several entities, including the General Food Security Authority, Saudi Irrigation Organization, Saline Water Conversion Corporation, Agricultural Development Fund, National Center for Meteorology, National Center for Wildlife, National Water Company, and the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC).

The ministry leads a range of programs and initiatives that include investment opportunities, ministry sectors and sustainable development strategies, in addition to the National Transformation Program, which consists of the Environmental Transformation Program, Water Transformation Program, and Agricultural Transformation Program.

MEWA includes ten agencies, which are: the Deputy Ministry for Environment, Deputy Ministry for Water, Deputy Ministry for Planning and Institutional Excellence, Deputy Ministry for Agriculture, Deputy Ministry for Shared Services, Deputy Ministry for Land and Survey, Deputy Ministry for Research and Innovation, Deputy Ministry for Economic Affairs and Investment, Deputy Ministry for Beneficiary Services and Branch Affairs, and Deputy Ministry for Regulatory Affairs.

Regulating agricultural work in the Kingdom first started in 1948 with the establishment of the Directorate-General for Agriculture. A Royal Decree was issued six years later to turn it into the Ministry of Agriculture and Water. Several developments occurred since; agencies were created, and sectors were merged until the ministry reached its current name.

The MEWA logo has many connotations for each department. It is written in Arabic and English and contains the palm symbol, which represents one of the icons of the Kingdom’s emblem; the two crossed swords; the water drop that conveys water management; the wheat, which depicts agriculture and development; and the leaves to symbolize nature and environment. All these elements are outlined in a green circle, the color of the Saudi flag.