Environment & Energy | Sunday 1 September, 2019 5:16 pm |

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST)  will launch the first Qassim International Hackathon for Agricultural Technology, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The event, which will kick off in Qassim region on 26 September, is considered the largest of its kind in the Middle East in the agricultural sector.

The hackathon will be organised by  KACST, represented by the Badir Program for Technology Incubators and Accelerators, and in collaboration with Faisal bin Mishaal bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Community Foundation “Mojtamae”.

The event will comprise three tracks including marketing and growth, management and follow-up of agricultural projects, and use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data in pest and agricultural control.

It will host programmers, designers, entrepreneurs, web developers, owners of innovative Idea, in addition to specialists and those interested in the agricultural sector.

Nawaf Al-Sahaf, the CEO of Badir Program, said that the agricultural sector contributes to the provision of 25% of all food available for consumption, SAR 53 billion to the gross domestic product (GDP), and employs 450,000 people across the various regions of the Kingdom.