Bahrain’s dialogue around food security may be moving into a more innovative stage, with a recent request from parliamentarians asking for a government commitment to encourage “fusion farming“, which they feel could result in the development of new types of produce, such as fruit and vegetables, while also creating higher-value crops for local farmers. In terms of the potential impact this initiative has for a country with limited farming land, it is a relatively straightforward proposal but one which has great potential to help make the current limitations of the Bahraini agricultural footprint work harder, smarter and more profitably.
This ambitious goal is especially important given the real limitations that the agricultural sector in Bahrain faces. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has highlighted that Bahrain continues to seek sustainable and resilient agriculture practices, and the effort is hampered by a lack of land and available water to farm on. Therefore, in a setting where every drop of water and every square foot of arable land are of considerable importance, any method of increasing overall production without adding more land area is seen as more than just an innovation; it is seen as a critical need to ensure the security of food supplies for the people of Bahrain.
The appeal of fusion farming lies in its different viewpoint when compared with other, more traditional, fixed terms for how agriculture is treated. Fusion farming will allow for experiments, different crops, and innovative ways to maximise returns on existing resources. For a country such as Bahrain, this approach will lead to a stronger local supply chain with unique products that can respond to the consumer’s preferences for quality, freshness, and variety in the products that they find in their supermarkets. This approach aligns with the actions of other Gulf states that are implementing these systems to reduce their reliance on imported food and enhance their food security through the efficient use of resources.
The larger picture does not end with just the act of planting differently. It will also provide a new definition of what small-scale agriculture can do when growing out of a desert climate. Bahrain has taken active steps to help foster more resilient agricultural practices, and the momentum behind fusion farming indicates that policymakers in Bahrain are searching for productive, long-term sustainable models that fuse the two together. By making fusion farming a practical option for Bahrain, the country’s weaknesses in agriculture could turn into real strengths based on its ability to innovate instead of just the amount of land it has.
