Al Ain farm offers model for countries to tackle food security and water scarcity, says minister
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Lessons learnt from the challenges faced by farmers in the Emirates could help the UAE to play a leading role in addressing global food security and water scarcity, said the Minister of Climate Change and Environment.
Dr Amna Al Dahak made the comments during a visit to a farm in Al Ain on Monday. She saw how challenges caused by the hot climate and water scarcity were being overcome. Climate change and growing water scarcity mean more countries must find new and unique solutions, she added.
The farm, which belongs to Emirati entrepreneur Abdulrahman Al Shamsi, is among those that have shown how developing new models can allow farmers to thrive amid adverse conditions. The farm in the Al Arad region spans 160,000 square metres and grows produce including dates, pomegranates, courgettes, watermelons, lemons, cabbage and mangoes.
"In our visit today to Abdulrahman Al Shamsi’s farm, we have seen a very innovative model in terms of a very complete and coherent agricultural system where they have aquaculture, they have poultry and livestock, and also the open field in the closed system farming," she said.
"Those are all different models that have been brought together in an innovative model that we’d like, through this visit to Abdulrahman Farm, to export in a very cost-effective way to other farmers in the UAE.
"We believe that implementing or investing in such models is going to create that disruptive leap that we’re looking for when it comes to food production in the UAE."
Seeds of the future
It comes after the Plant the Emirates campaign was launched this month by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to boost the country's agriculture sector and to help address food security issues.
The initiative involves setting up a national centre to promote domestic farming with the aim of increasing agricultural production by a fifth in the next five years. Traditionally reliant on food imports, the UAE has more recently attracted significant investment in agricultural technology to increase its own output.
Dr Al Dahak said the farm’s innovative agricultural systems were a model for sustainable food production. The farm integrates aquaculture, livestock, poultry and closed-system farming, with the comprehensive approach able to address food security challenges, she added.
She emphasised the importance of investing in innovative models to tackle issues such as water scarcity and climate change, to scale them within the UAE and export the knowledge to countries around the world.