With no rivers, one of the world’s lowest levels of rainfall, and a harsh desert environment, Qatar’s agricultural resources are very limited. The country has a land area of 11,590 square kilometers, of which only 1.1 percent is arable. Qatar’s population, however, is on the rise: it increased 300 percent from 500,000 people in 1995 to 2 million people in 2014. In an interview with the Journal, Fahad Al-Attiya, chairman of the Qatar National Food Security Programme, discussed the challenges facing dryland regions, and the government’s ten-year plan to make the country self-sufficient in agriculture.
