Being responsible toward this modern trend, the objectives of the National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD) are achieved through a variety of mechanisms to unify the present efforts in the Kingdom and disseminate agricultural awareness and its importance to all relevant sectors. The mechanisms of achieving those goals are represented by the following:
Unify Efforts:
Identify the relevant entities in the agricultural sector, whether aesthetic or productive, along with all specialized entities related to environmental natural resource, training and empowering, and job creation to collaborate toward supporting present agricultural projects and create new once that aims to holistically develop the agricultural sector.
Education, Training, and Empowering:
Prepare advanced academic and training programmes, which include the use of modern agricultural techniques, to develop the agricultural field in the Kingdom and train interested people in working in this sector at the highest professional and international standards.
In this context, NIAD will coordinate with the specialized entities in supporting the education, talents, and skills of agriculture production. Meanwhile, NIAD is working very close with various educational levels in developing the schools curriculums in agricultural sciences, which will ensure the availability of skilled graduates who can be relied upon in the development and implementation of agricultural strategies in the future.
The initiative also participates in the development of leadership agribusiness project, which was recently launched by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The project aims to adapt to the development of entrepreneurship program to suit the local agricultural sector.
Agricultural Entrepreneurship:
Educate and encourage citizens, especially the unemployed, to work with their family members in agricultural projects and benefit from the use of modern technologies, through the creation of sustainable micro-projects, ensuring self-reliance, adopt initiatives by establishing agricultural companies for individuals or joint-stock companies that would be converted to public joint-stock at a later stage, which should be specialized in the production of major agricultural commodities by using the latest agricultural techniques.
Markets and Exhibitions:
The National Initiative annually organizes Bahrain International Garden Show, which is considered as an integrated station which provides to its visitors everything they need in the horticulture field or professional agriculture. The show is the perfect place for the exchange of experiences and showcasing the latest technology, as it also provides the right opportunity to create new business partnerships between local and international companies.
For more information about Bahrain International Garden Show, please click here www.bigs.com.bh
The initiative also seeks to revive the traditional farming markets. It aims to involve the largest possible number of new farmers to showcase their products, and to support the owners of small and medium enterprises and marketing of their exhibits, which will benefit everyone.
Increase Green Spaces:
Increase green areas, by collaborating with the relevant entities, through planting and gardening projects, maintaining public gardens, and preserving agricultural wealth and nature reserves.
Promotion:
The National Initiative promotes projects and agricultural events through exhibitions, conferences and workshops in collaboration with the relative entities. The Initiative seeks to educate and decimente agricutlral awareness among the people and encourage them trhough the following:
1- Launch prizes to encourage fast agricultural development.
2- Promote agricultural projects and success stories.
3- Coordinate with various media outlets (Audio, Visual, and Print) to focus more on agricultural investments and projects.
4- Issue agricultural periodicals/ books / magazines / publications.
5- Create a website for the National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD) to act as a center for information and to work as a reliable resource for researchers and the investors in agriculture field.