Spatial suitability of coffee cultivation in Saudi Arabia using GIS

    The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia consumes more than 80 thousand tons of coffee annually, spending over one billion riyals annually on coffee. In the research, the origin and historical development of coffee in the Kingdom will be clarified, as well as the availability of natural and human components for its cultivation, as well as monitoring changes in the vegetation cover of coffee and its indicators, as well as determining the spatial suitability of the Kingdom for coffee cultivation, identifying the problems facing coffee farmers in the southwest, and proposing appropriate solutions to those problems. The study utilized a descriptive-analytical approach, including thematic, regional, and historical approaches. Using remote sensing techniques to analyze space images to study changes in coffee vegetation cover was the primary method employed in this study, along with the use of ARC GIS 10.8 for analysis, production of maps, and analysis of the maps. The study utilized four main methods: quantitative, cartographic, field, and geomatics. In conclusion, the study produced several important results, including: (a) A total of approximately 1000 hectares of coffee tree cultivation are in three main regions of the Kingdom: Jazan, Asir, and Al-Baha. (b) Based on the "NDVI" index, the coffee planting area in the southwest of the Kingdom decreased by 15.4% during the period 1985-2023, from 2293 km2 to 1938 km2, with an increase in coffee vegetation density because of the "SAVI" index in the southwest of the Kingdom. (c) In the Kingdom, coffee trees are primarily grown in the center and west of the Kingdom, covering an area of 807,387 square kilometers, comprising 37.5% of the Kingdom's total area. This includes the regions of Jazan, Asir, Al-Baha, Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Najran, Riyadh, and parts of Hail and Tabuk as well as parts of those regions. (d) It is estimated that the area of the areas unsuitable for growing coffee trees is 734,114 km2, which represents 34.1% of the total area of the Kingdom, as well as some areas adjacent to the Red Sea plane. (e) A total of 608 km2 of the total area of the kingdom are excluded from coffee cultivation, including the eastern coastal zone along the Red Sea (Tihama Plains). (f) It is estimated that the zone of very suitable coffee cultivation consists of 66628.8 km2 (4% of the Kingdom's area) and is mainly concentrated in the southwest of the country. A zone of medium suitability reaches 4205652.2 km2 (18.8% of the Kingdom's area), with the area primarily located in the west, while a zone of limited suitability reaches 335104.6 km2 (15.6% of the Kingdom's area). (g) Many coffee farmers in the southwest of the Kingdom face numerous problems, including a shortage of trained workers, fluctuating rainfall, a lack of sufficient water resources, while transportation and marketing are the third problem, followed by diseases and pests as the fourth problem.