Adoption of on-farm feed safety practices among livestock farmers: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

Compliance with feed safety standards and practices on the farm promotes sustainable livestock production and can positively affect the environment and human health. This study aims to examine farmers' on-farm adoption of feed safety practices and determine the differences in adoption according to the socio-economic characteristics of farmers. An online survey was conducted to collect the study data. The study participants consisted of 442 livestock farmers in Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia. The study findings revealed that farmers highly adopted categories of feed purchasing (77.9 %) and feed mixing and distribution (75.05 %), whereas they were considered as a moderate level adoption regarding feed storing (70.9 %). The cluster analysis results showed two main patterns of adoption— “high adopters” and “moderate adopters”—based on the average level of adoption for 25 feed safety practices examined. The cluster of “high adopters” accounted for 59.9 % of the sample and had higher average adoption in all practices examined. The findings revealed that there are significant differences between the two segments of farmers, corresponding to gender, membership in livestock association, extension contact, raising sheep, and feeding system. This study proposes the regular monitoring of farms to ensure strict adherence to feed safety regulations, with the implementation of awareness and capacity development initiatives pertaining to feed safety concerns

A Framework for Quantifying the Strength of Partnerships between Agricultural Cooperatives and Development Actors: A Case Study in Saudi Arabia

The issue of the agricultural cooperatives’ sustainability in developing their businesses is gaining increasing prominence. Building partnerships between development actors and agricultural cooperatives has been considered an effective strategy for supporting financial capital and addressing sustainability issues collectively. Therefore, this study aimed to address the features and strengths of 33 partnerships established between the Beekeeping Cooperative Association in Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia, and other actors between 2016 and 2021. The analysis of the collaborations was based on six criteria: motivations, partnership planning, outputs, governance practices, outcomes, and sustainability of a partnership. Furthermore, we developed a weighted scoring model to control variable selection and submit the strength of each partnership. The findings indicated that most collaborations (45.5%) were signed with the private sector. Furthermore, the honey value chain development was the most frequent reason (69.7%) attracting the partners to engage in the partnerships. Some of the most critical environmental objectives targeted by the partnerships examined were enhancing bee habitat by the diversification of pasture species, management to increase the flowering period, and proper grazing management. All partners achieved their individual goals jointly in 54.5% of the partnerships analyzed. In terms of a partnership’s strength, the findings also revealed that only three partnerships (9.1%) were characterized as strong partnerships. This study provides a better understanding of how agricultural cooperatives collaborate with other actors and a basis for assessing the strength of the partnerships. Such information is crucial for developing relevant policies to encourage cooperatives to engage in future sustainability partnerships

Food Waste in Saudi Arabia: Causes, Consequences, and Combating Measures

The enormous amounts of food going as waste to landfills is of great concern in Saudi Arabia. The issue of food waste is complex, with its numerous social, cultural, economic, and environmental sustainability dimensions warranting further investigations. Food waste is one of the prime issues threatening food security in Saudi Arabia. This article aims to gauge the real issue, to create awareness among those who waste large amounts of food, and to encourage planners and policy makers to implement corrective measures. This article aims to stimulate interest within the scientific community, seek support from different branches of Saudi Arabian government, and engage all major segments of society. A thorough search of the international scientific publications and the grey literature published in English and Arabic was made. It was discovered that the available literature is scarce, and tends to focus on finding knowledge about the problem rather than on generating solutions. Thus, further research should attempt to find ways to form strategies and to test new ideas and interventions that could reduce food waste, particularly in the hospitality sector and within households. Based on the analysis presented in this paper, the recommended course of action for Saudi Arabia is to launch an integrated “Stop Wasting Food” campaign that would include all stakeholders. Raising awareness about the detrimental consequences of food waste and encouraging behavioral changes to reduce this squandering of precious resources is the first step in addressing the issue. There is an urgent need to promote behavioral changes in Saudi Arabian society, particularly among prime food wasters: women and youth