Manama, February 17 (BNA): At the FAO World Conference in Rome, Italy, four agricultural villages in the Kingdom of Bahrain received international recognition under the FAO Villages Recognition Initiative. The diversity and excellence of Bahrain’s agricultural initiatives and sustainable practices were reflected in the recognition of Hoorat A’ali for its science, innovation, and digital villages, Buri village for its natural villages, Karranah village for its traditional food cultures, and Budaiya for its agritourism experiences.
Bahrain’s four agricultural villages receive international recognition from FAO
The sector’s continued successes under His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s rule and the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, are due to Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Consultative Council of the National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD), and Her Royal Highness’s leading role in assisting Bahraini farmers and advancing agricultural and rural development, according to Wael bin Nasser Al Mubarak, Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture.
“The international recognition reflects the developmental and agricultural strengths of Bahraini villages, highlights the role of villagers and farmers in preserving agricultural heritage, and demonstrates the adoption of sustainable practices that enhance national food security, support sustainable agricultural development, and empower rural communities,” the minister said, praising the ministry’s active partnership with NIAD.
He emphasized the advanced level attained by Bahrain’s agricultural sector by explaining that the initiative’s villages were approved after fulfilling all technical and procedural requirements, including institutional and field evaluation, sustainable agricultural practices, preservation of natural resources, community engagement, and protection of agricultural heritage.
The Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture’s Undersecretary of Agriculture and Animal Wealth Affairs, Asim Abdullatif Abdulla, commended FAO and the initiative’s teams for their expert work in starting this global program and identifying exceptional agricultural villages across the globe. According to him, the honor highlights the breadth of Bahrain’s collaboration with the group and advances information sharing in the areas of sustainable rural development and food security.
The FAO’s Villages Recognition Initiative, he continued, is a premier global initiative to highlight rural villages as effective examples of sustainable agricultural development. Villages that are nominated go through a stringent process that includes technical evaluation and documentation and practice verification.
In order to highlight Bahrain’s experience in creating agricultural villages and strengthen the Kingdom’s position in global initiatives on food security and sustainable rural development, Abdulla stated that the FAO created separate profiles for each village on the FAO MuNe Network of multifunctional villages and granted official certificates to all recognized Bahraini villages.
