The Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) received one of the highest accolades for its agriculture waste recycling and composting stations by the National Centre for Palms and Dates, acknowledging the success of its sustainable agricultural initiatives for the cultivation of date palms in AlUla.

The Agriculture Centre received the accolade for the Excellence Award in the Innovative Date Palm Technologies during the International Dates Conference and Exhibition 2024, which provides and annual showcase for date production across the Kingdom.

Dr. Abdullah Alhumaid, from the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), said: “Agriculture plays a critical role in RCU’s journey to revitalise AlUla’s landscape. Its regeneration is not only of great importance to the environment and wider sustainability goals, but also serves as a powerful stimulus for economic, social, and cultural conservation across the county.

“This recognition reinforces the efforts being taken to drive sustainable agricultural practices, which are supporting RCU’s wider comprehensive regeneration of AlUla. Through such programmes, support by AlUla’s farmers, we are creating long-term impact.”

AlUla’s composting stations, established in the Cultural Oasis and Mughayra as part of a large-scale composting programme for organic waste and an integrated pest-management, have collected organic agricultural waste which is being used to enrich the soils in AlUla’s farms.

RCU’s participation at the fifth edition of the International Dates Conference and Exhibition, hosted by the National Centre for Palms and Dates in the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Centre, saw the representation of 12 farms owned by local residents.

Over the course of the event, AlUla farmers shared their knowledge of date cultivation, as well as highlighting the unique varieties of AlUla dates such as Barni, Majdool, Halwa, and Shinna.