UAE farms create green oases in the desert
Added on 31 March 2023
In the UAE, technology is bringing agriculture to new heights – literally – as rows of leafy vegetables, fruits and berries are stacked one above the other, yielding produce that help boost the country’s food self-sufficiency.
The arid climate and lack of arable land are addressed by smart systems that manage the entire farming process – from irrigation to temperature control. These climate-controlled facilities require less or no soil, but do produce more food per square metre of land than traditional farming methods.
In fact, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCE) has earlier said that hydroponics (the technique of growing plants using a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil) farms can produce one kilo of lettuce using only about 20 litres of water, and water is recycled instead of being drained into the soil.
Aside from using less water and providing produce that is free of pesticides, these modern farms are also located in or near urban areas, thereby reducing the distance that food has to move to reach consumers, cutting back on carbon footprint.
The UAE’s sustainable agriculture journey began several years ago and now we are seeing the fruits of the land, aided by modern technology. The country is preparing for food self-sufficiency and here are some of the oases of greens that have bloomed recently.
CUTTING ON IMPORT DEPENDENCE
On Monday, His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, had personally witnessed the harvest of protein-enriched wheat at a 400-hectare farm in Maliha. The seeds were sown in November 30 last year and harvest is expected to yield 15,200 tonnes of wheat that will help reduce the emirate’s dependence on imported wheat.
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Photo: Baby kale grown at the vertical nutrient film technique (NFT) system are pictured at Veggietech, a start-up farm, that produces all year-round crops using smart and sustainable farming technologies in the middle of UAE's Sharjah desert, in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, February 1, 2023. REUTERS/Rula Rouhana
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