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Advanced technologies and global insights can help UAE transform local farming practices and become a leader in sustainable agriculture.
Climate change is making agriculture more difficult worldwide, leading countries to look for solutions from those who have effectively managed similar issues. According to industry experts who spoke with Zawya Projects, the UAE has the potential to become a leader in sustainable agriculture over time by using appropriate technologies to support local farming and learning from successful projects.
"The current trend is to find fit-for-purpose solutions that match our challenges and unique market dynamics," said Yazen AlKodmani, General Manager of Emirates Bio Farm, the UAEs largest organic farm, egg producer and agri-tourism project located in Al Shuwaib, Abu Dhabi.Other solutions include innovations in water saving, circularity, food loss, waste prevention/management, and exploring alternative proteins and food sources that are more suitable for the UAEs climate with minimal environmental impact.
Kodmani, who established agritech consulting firm 3y Agtech and now sits in the World Economic Forum and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoums Food Innovation Hub UAE as a senior consultant, continued: "For example, the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), which is based in the UAE, has identified quinoa as the grain that can replace rice; it has high nutrition and can tolerate heat and salinity. So, the question we need to ask is - should we grow rice, or should we change our menu to be more suitable with what can be grown locally in a more sustainable fashion?"
He also mentioned the challenge of increasing groundwater salinity and ICBAs global mandate to focus on salinity in agriculture.
"If we develop seeds that grow in high salinity, we unlock lots of marginalised land that has salty earth or water," he observed.
Conversations have also begun around sustainable methods and avoiding high-capex technologies that may not provide appropriate returns on investment.
Kodmani explained: "For example, instead of greenhouses, people are talking about retractable roofs, which have much lower operating costs and a smaller utility footprint. One can still use some high-tech in irrigation and hydroponics by innovating and adapting them to the local ecosystems."
UAEs National Food Security Strategy 2051 aims to put the country at the top of the Global Food Security Index by 2051. In September 2023, the local English language daily The National quoted the Minister of Economy Abdulla bin Touq as saying that the UAE aims to boost the contribution of food and agriculture to its economy by $10 billion and create 20,000 jobs in the next five years amid measures to increase food security in the country. On 11 October 2023, the state-owned Emirates Development Bank (EDB) announced it had allocated AED 30 billion ($8.2 billion) to support 13,500 SMEs in five priority sectors, including food security, which received over AED 721 million ($196.3 million).
Kodmani commended the several innovative initiatives in the UAE but said finding financially viable projects with the right risk metrics in a nascent industry is challenging. "We also need further development in insurance products to support the risk profile of local farming," he said.
Examples of innovation in the UAE cited by Kodmani included:
· Abu Dhabi-based Silals Innovation Oasis is mandated to test technologies suitable for the region and provide the right ecosystem for research and development of fit-for-purpose solutions.
· The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority also conducts similar trials, with many programmes aimed at knowledge building.
· The Khalifa Fund is available for local entrepreneurs and has a long history of supporting small-scale farmers and related industry projects.
· UAE University, based in Al Ain, has a strong agriculture education programme and a research centre to support student development and education.
Partnerships with governments
Industry players are also looking to align with government-led initiatives. Hassan Halawy, General Manager of Elite Agro Products, a leading Abu Dhabi-based player specialising in greenfield agricultural development projects in the public and private realms, said the company is working with Dubai Municipality and EDB to structure a product to support local farmers in line with the Dubai Farm initiative, launched by the Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan in March 2024 to support Emirati farmers. |
