Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has unveiled a project to boost the country's agriculture sector and help address food security issues. The Plant the Emirates initiative has been launched to boost agricultural development and enhance the nation's food security, the state news agency Wam reported on Sunday.
The project will include the establishment of a national agriculture centre to develop local production to enhance quality and competitiveness. "The national programme Plant the Emirates aims to continue the legacy of Zayed, may God have mercy on him, and his will to plant trees, green and develop the land of the UAE with agriculture," said Sheikh Mohammed.
"The national programme aims to spread the culture of agriculture in every school and home, and in our new generations. The programme aims to increase our food security, develop our agricultural technologies, build new partnerships with the private sector and spread the green area in our country to ensure its sustainability."
The national agriculture sector would be a major driver for the project, offering technical support and providing partnerships and creating institutions, he said.
“Agriculture in the UAE is Zayed’s legacy, a guarantee and security, and a sustainability and development for this good land and its soil that we love," said Sheikh Mohammed. "We call on everyone to participate in this national project through ideas, projects and initiatives, and to spread the culture of agriculture and plant the seed today that future generations will enjoy."
A number of targets for the next five years have been set out as part of the campaign. They include a 20 per cent increase in production from farms, a 25 per cent increase in the number of organic farms and a 30 per cent increase in the percentage of farms that adopt climate-smart solutions.
Other targets include a 50 per cent reduction in waste from agricultural production, a 15 per cent increase in the number of workers in the agricultural sector, a 25 per cent increase in use of local products in the restaurant and hotel sector, and for 85 per cent of local farms to obtain the quality classification seal.
As part of the project local communities will also grow produce at home, Wam reported, and help to enhance the green area across the country. The scheme was launched on Sunday following a UAE Cabinet meeting at the Al Marmoom farm in Dubai. Also present were Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior.
The programme will create national campaigns, events, exhibitions and seasonal markets to display and market crops and agricultural products under a unified identity. Another aspect of the Plant the Emirates campaign will be how it helps reduce the country's carbon footprint – especially appropriate given the extension of the UAE's Year of Sustainability. Launched in 2023, President Sheikh Mohamed announced in February of this year that it would be extended through 2024.
Embracing innovation
Amna Al Shamsi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said the new strategy will explore innovative ways of making agriculture more sustainable.
“The initiative will focus on leveraging advance technology to reduce the carbon footprint. It will look at ways to use drones and artificial intelligence to monitor and minimise emissions,” the minister said in an interview on radio station Dubai Eye on Monday.
The focus, the minister added, will be to use “climate smart systems” to “overcome the challenges of the region”. She said the UAE had already implemented smart solutions like vertical farming to tackle the arid desert climate, and will continue to look at “carbon capture solutions”.
She said there would be an emphasis on making locally-grown produce the first choice for restaurants in the Emirates. “This will need a change in mindsets of everyone from the hotels to restaurants to even the individuals,” she said.
