Qatar: Serious constraints hamper drive towards agricultural self sufficiency
Anonymous
Arab Economist 11(122): 21-22
1979
Document Number: 320286
At present less than 1% of the land in Qatar is under cultivation, and less than 3% is cultivable. Since the first experimental farm was set up in the 1960s continuous effort has been made to become self-sufficient in food. The system of small holdings for vegetable production is described, production is based on private land ownership supported by substantial government assistance. There is strong potential for land reclamation but the absence of water constitutes a serious constraint. The government aims to stop exploiting natural resources (peak rainfall 50mm. per year) by 1979 and to be dependant on artificial supplies, which effectively means desalination. Agricultural training assistance is being used in order to encourage the nomadic Bedouin to settle in fixed farming communities.