RIYADH: The 45th Al-Baha Summer Festival, themed “A Summer in Al-Baha: Embrace Serenity,” has been launched under the patronage of Prince Hussam bin Saud, governor of Al-Baha region. The festival features six agricultural events that enhance the region’s agricultural and tourism identity, support economic development, and provide opportunities for young men and women to enter the labor market. Fahd bin Muftah Al-Zahrani, director of the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture in the region, highlighted the ministry’s focus on agricultural festivals due to their success in marketing agricultural products and showcasing the regions rich natural resources.  This success is bolstered by collaboration with numerous distinguished partners from both governmental and private sectors, especially agricultural cooperative societies which play a crucial role in advancing agricultural efforts by enhancing marketing strategies, improving the quantity and quality of agricultural products, diversifying promising crops, and promoting sustainable agricultural development. A number of distinguished farmers participate in the festivals, offering the finest local agricultural products. Al-Zahrani noted that agricultural festivals are a tourism marketing gateway to which many visitors flock, highlighting that the number of visitors at the “Grains and Almonds” festival last year reached approximately 3,000 people, while 3,500 visitors flocked to the “Bounties Festival” in Baljurashi. Visitors to other similar events reached around 40,000 people. Faisal Al-Ghamdi, a local farmer, said that turning agricultural seasons into festivals during the summer is a unique initiative that attracts tourists, supports small farmers and craftsmen, generates economic returns, markets agricultural products, enhances local produce, and strengthens the national economy. Another farmer, Ali Al-Zahrani, said that seasonal agricultural festivals generate diverse economic returns each year, benefiting all segments of society.  These festivals encourage the region’s farmers and their families to market their products, improve agricultural production quality and competitiveness, and showcase productive human capabilities, he added.