Four agricultural villages in the Kingdom of Bahrain were internationally recognised under the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Villages Recognition Initiative during the FAO World Conference in Rome, Italy. Hoorat A'ali was recognised for science, innovation, and digital villages; Buri village was recognised for natural villages; Karranah village was recognised for traditional food cultures; and Budaiya was recognised for agritourism experiences, reflecting the diversity and excellence of Bahrain’s agricultural initiatives and sustainable practices.

Wael bin Nasser Al Mubarak, Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, said that the sector’s ongoing achievements under the reign of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, are the result of continuous support from Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, President of the Consultative Council of the National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD) and Her Royal Highness' leading role in supporting Bahraini farmers and promoting agricultural and rural development.

The minister commended the active partnership between the ministry and NIAD, noting that the international recognition reflects the developmental and agricultural strengths of Bahraini villages, highlights the role of villagers and farmers in preserving agricultural heritage, and demonstrates the adoption of sustainable practices that enhance national food security, support sustainable agricultural development, and empower rural communities.

He explained that Bahrain’s villages were approved under the initiative after meeting all technical and procedural standards, including institutional and field evaluation, sustainable agricultural practices, natural resource preservation, community engagement, and protection of agricultural heritage, emphasising the advanced level achieved by Bahrain’s agricultural sector.

Asim Abdullatif Abdulla, Undersecretary of Agriculture and Animal Wealth Affairs at the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, thanked FAO and the initiative’s teams for their professional efforts in launching this global programme and recognising outstanding agricultural villages worldwide. He said the recognition reflects the depth of Bahrain’s partnership with the organisation and contributes to knowledge exchange in food security and sustainable rural development.

He added that the FAO’s Villages Recognition Initiative is a leading international effort to showcase rural villages as successful models of sustainable agricultural development, with nominated villages undergoing a rigorous process including technical evaluation and verification of practices and documentation.

Abdulla noted that the FAO awarded official certificates to each recognised Bahraini village and prepared independent profiles for each village on the FAO MuNe Network of multifunctional villages, highlighting Bahrain’s experience in developing agricultural villages and enhancing the Kingdom’s presence in international initiatives on food security and sustainable rural development.