Modern Saudi Arabia

In the 1980’s , it moves to expand the economy, the Saudi Arabia government tried to expand their agriculture division. The government hoped that soon the nation would be able to support themselves with their own food. But they knew this would be a ambitious goal because most of Saudi Arabia was a desert. But still the government and citizens had faith in this lofty idea.

This idea proved worthy because by 1998 agriculture jobs provided over 12 percent of the labor force. 

Less than 2 percent of Saudi Arabian land is fertilized meaning very little farming land. Most of the crops are grown in the southwest part of the kingdom where rain fall is common enough to sustain plant matter.  Maize and wheat are the main crops and they also harvest oil, but wheat was not worth the money it cost to grow it.