Jeddah: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) is focusing its scientific research on combating desertification as the world celebrates World Environment Day on June 5th each year. This year's theme is land reclamation and building capacity to resist desertification and drought. One of KAUST's startup companies, Terraxy, has successfully developed innovative solutions for afforestation in the Kingdom, including converting organic waste dumps to afforest the desert and sequester carbon. The Kingdom has pledged to reduce the burial of organic waste by 90% by 2035 and is committed to promoting desert agriculture, reclaiming the desert, urban afforestation, and creating public parks and green spaces. KAUST is also working on a method to treat organic waste and sequester carbon and is contributing to afforestation by producing the patented soil improver "Carbo Soil" through specialized, multi-step treatment of organic waste. This soil improver transforms desert soil into soil suitable for foo d production and afforestation. Additionally, KAUST has advanced agricultural climate technologies through its startup company "Iyris," which helps farmers grow fresh crops in harsh climates. With agriculture consuming over 70% of freshwater globally, the university is designing technologies to ensure food security for the world in a sustainable manner. Expectations indicate that the global agricultural technology market will reach $7.4 billion US by 2030. Source: Saudi Press Agency
Friday, April 24, 2026