Jazan: From the peaks of Fayfa Governorate, where the first steps toward mountain development were taken, to broader horizons as the mountains of Jazan move toward a more diverse and sustainable economy, a development story extends across nearly half a century. It began with a specialized body established to address the area's unique characteristics and has now reached a new phase in which roles are being reshaped in line with the region's ongoing development transformation.
According to Saudi Press Agency, with the Cabinet's decision to abolish the Jazan Mountainous Areas Development and Reconstruction Authority and transfer its responsibilities to the Strategic Office for the Development of Jazan Region and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, a new path is being opened. This path integrates agricultural and environmental expertise with development planning and investment in the region's economic and tourism potential.
The journey dates back to 1396 AH, when the Fayfa Development and Reconstruction Authority was established. At the time, the nature and terrain of the mountains and the needs of their residents called for a specialized body to place development within a context suited to the area's unique characteristics.
More than three decades later, the scope of responsibility expanded. A Royal Order issued in 1429 AH changed the authority's name to the Jazan Mountainous Areas Development and Reconstruction Authority, extending the experience beyond its initial scope to cover several governorates in the mountainous sector.
Throughout this journey, the mountains were not merely geographically challenging terrain. Under the authority's programs, they became a field for research, experimentation, and the exploration of potential, particularly in the agricultural sector. Agricultural trials contributed to studying crops and varieties suited to the mountainous environment, developing farming practices, and supporting farmers with knowledge and seedlings.
At the heart of this experience, Saudi coffee emerged as one of the most prominent agricultural resources associated with the authority's efforts. Its work and initiatives in this field included proposing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's accession to the International Coffee Organization, identifying promising varieties of Saudi coffee, and registering them with the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP).
The authority also contributed to providing farmers with coffee and sandalwood seedlings, distributing more than one million coffee seedlings. It also used plant tissue culture techniques to propagate crops and produce disease- and virus-free plants.
The efforts extended beyond coffee to include the cultivation of aromatic trees and sandalwood, the study of tourism opportunities, and efforts to highlight the natural and cultural assets of the mountainous areas. These efforts contributed to a more comprehensive picture of the potential of the mountain sector.
The significance of these assets has grown in the current phase. Agricultural terraces, highlands, fog, vegetation, and cultural heritage are no longer separate elements but resources that can be integrated to form an economic, tourism, and environmental ecosystem. This aligns with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 to diversify the economy, maximize the use of local resources, and enable regions to leverage their competitive advantages. It also makes development more closely connected to the unique characteristics and assets of each region.
Today, the mountains of Jazan are moving from a phase of discovering their potential to one of maximizing its value, and from viewing the mountains as an area in need of development to seeing them as a partner in shaping the region's economy.