Contribution of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture to Food Security in Saudi Arabia

The prominence of aquaculture and fisheriesFisheries towards nutrition and foodAquaculture security in the present and future is influenced by a complex interplay of environmentalEnvironmental, development, policy, and governanceGovernance challenges. At present, Saudi Arabia is regarded as one of the prime water-stressed nations among the world. Extreme temperatures, low precipitation, inadequate arable landArable land, the absence of productive soils, and dwindling water resourcesWater resources characterize the tough physical environmentEnvironment of the kingdom. Rapidly growing population and excessive extraction of groundwaterGroundwater continue to stress the prevailing water resourcesWater resources. Furthermore, it is anticipated that global climateClimate change will have adverse effects on water resources and agricultural systems that are already depleted. As a result, potential for the enhancement of agriculture sectors particularly fisheriesFisheries or aquaculture production systems to meet increasing demand of foods are extremely inadequate, despite the fact that majority of the current demand is being met through importsImport. It is expected that by the year 2050, Saudi Arabia will have to import all of the goods it requires. In the meanwhile, there is a wide variety of technologyTechnology that can help to save land and water, and it has the ability to contribute to the production of enough energy to meet the needs of the home market. Therefore, the extensionFish extension agent’s role is crucial in promoting innovative technologies and educating the agricultural community so that the recommendations can be put into practice to satisfy the dietary requirements of the nation. Considering this, the current chapter demonstrates convincingly the necessity to strengthen the fisheries and aquacultureAquaculture production systems so as to ensure food security and combat climate changeClimate change.