São Paulo – Saudi Arabia’s sustainable tourism developer, The Red Sea Development Co. (TRSDC), signed an agreement with Red Sea Farms to establish a farm that will sustainably produce food using smart technologies to supply the hotels it is building. Pictured above, the company’s executives after signing the agreement.
Saudi newspaper Arab News reported in its website, based on a statement made public by the tourism developer, that Red Sea Farms will build and operate the farm, growing crops to sustainably feed The Red Sea Project. TRSDC is the main developer of the project that was launched in 2017 and aims at establishing a solid tourist structure by the Red Sea.
The announced farm will become a main supplier to the destination’s tourist developments. It will use sunlight and saltwater to cool greenhouses and grow crops, instead of relying on fresh groundwater or desalinated water, TRSDC said in a statement. This means freshwater saving, a reduced impact on the environment and a significant cost saving for growers.
TRSDC has set aside a food development area in the Red Sea Project and is inviting leading companies to set up production facilities as well as pilots of cutting-edge food technologies that can someday be used on a commercial scale. The Red Sea Farms will produce fresh leafy greens, herbs, vine crops, fruits, and vegetables. Saudis want to expand the farm to up to 100 hectares in the future, which would make it the largest sustainable farm of its kind in the world.
By 2023, The Red Sea Project will welcome 300,000 guests annually and upwards of 14,000 employees. The Red Sea Project will welcome its first guests by the end of 2022. Once fully operational in 2030, it will welcome up to one million guests per year and home to around 35,000 employees, comprise 50 hotels and around 1,300 residential properties. Feeding this many people in a remote, largely desert environment presents huge logistical challenges.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
