Eighteen months after breaking ground in Abu Dhabi, US vertical farming company AeroFarms has opened its 6,000 square-metre research and development centre, the largest of its kind in the world, with the aim of advancing sustainable agriculture in arid climates.
UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment Mariam Almheiri called the opening a great achievement for the region, noting that 80 per cent of the nation's food is imported and less than five per cent of land is suitable for farming.
Advancing indoor vertical farming, which relies on precise environmental control systems, less water and none of the pesticides used in traditional farming, could transform the region's potential as an agricultural producer.
AeroFarms AgX, the New Jersey company's wholly owned subsidiary in the UAE, is part of a group of four AgTech ventures to share in a $150 million investment from Abu Dhabi Investment Office (Adio), announced in April 2020, to bring cutting-edge research to the capital to improve food security.
AeroFarms' partnership with Adio "reflects our bigger commitment ... to commercialise new products for the region and the world,” David Rosenberg, the co-founder and chief executive of AeroFarms, said.
"There are few parts of the world where there's the belief of 'we can do anything'," he told The National at the time of the project's announcement.
"In the UAE, you have boldness of 'let's do it bigger, better' and that was very attractive to us."
Abu Dhabi has invested tens of millions of dollars into AgTech start-ups with a focus on technology-based solutions to boost food production, including automation, robotics and novel approaches to greenhouse and vertical farming.
The UAE announced a national food security strategy in 2018 and is doubling down on its sustainability efforts as it prepares to host Cop28 later this year.
The new AeroFarms AgX R&D centre will employ over 60 engineers, horticulturists, and scientists to staff the laboratories conducting research into genetically modified crops and automated growing practices.
The company also said it plans to develop machine learning and robotics at the site with the aim of increasing food yields and reducing the resources needed to grow produce.
The plan is to partner with local companies and universities on research projects to tackle problems of agriculture within desert and arid climates.
AeroFarms AgX announced its first local partnership agreement with Abu Dhabi AgTech firm Silal, an ADQ-owned company. The partnership will focus on R&D to commercialise crops like tomatoes and peppers.
Salmeen Alameri, chief executive of Silal, said its collaboration with AeroFarms marks a milestone towards developing more effective long-term agriculture practices in Abu Dhabi.
AeroFarms is a 19-year-old company that sells a variety of greens in some of the biggest US retailers including Walmart and Amazon-owned Whole Foods.
In 2021, AeroFarms said it was scrapping plans to go public via a special purpose acquisition company, saying it was not in the interest of shareholders to do so.
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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SPECS
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The lowdown
Bohemian Rhapsody
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
Rating: 3/5
Related
Play-off fixtures
Two-legged ties to be played November 9-11 and November 12-14
- Northern Ireland v Switzerland
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The specs: 2018 Infiniti QX80
Price: base / as tested: Dh335,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 400hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.1L / 100km
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The%20specs
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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