UAE 'completely overhauled' food strategy during pandemic, says minister


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The Covid-19 pandemic forced the UAE to assess its food supply chain after suffering some initial disruption, a Cabinet minister has said.

Mariam Al Mheiri, the Minister of State for Food Security, said the country had to act quickly to ensure people had access to vital products at the start of the outbreak.

Speaking at an online meeting of the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) for Western Asia and North Africa on Monday, Ms Al Mheiri said the government's policy in supporting agri-tech companies to increase local food supply helped.

“As a country, the UAE imports over 90 per cent of its food,” she said.

“We experienced several supply chain disruptions in the midst of the pandemic with certain food products not making their way into the country.

A complete overhaul needed to be done

“Our crisis management plan, which was part of the food security strategy, was put to the test as we acted and adapted quickly ... to ensure our people had access to safe, nutritious and affordable food at all times. We really benefitted from having a clear governance model in the country in the food security sector.”

Governments can promote food security by supporting start-ups and small or medium sized businesses that can accelerate the shift from traditional agriculture to sustainable practices like urban farming, said Ms Al Mheiri.

The first substantive activity by the food security office, was to remove barriers that agri-tech companies face so they would set up local businesses and increase domestic food production, she said.

“A complete overhaul needs to be done,” she said.

“So we urge all governments to really look into their regulations to try to enhance the growth of more sustainable domestic production.”

Civil organisations like food banks also play a role in food security by, for example, reducing food waste or encouraging thoughtful consumption.

The FAO meeting laid bare the challenges of food security in the middle of the pandemic, which is expected to add five to seven million hungry people to the region this year.

Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of State for Food Security. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs
Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of State for Food Security. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs

Recovery is expected to be slower and less complete than in other regions, FAO officials warned.

“We believe that Covid-19 has sounded an alarm bell that has demonstrated the limitations of our current food systems and the response requires both immediate action and also longer term action to build back and ensure we have more resilient food systems,” said Beth Bechdol, FAO’s deputy director general.

Agricultural ministers gathered for the virtual meeting to discuss a proposed response plan to Covid-19 food security issues.

Prior to the pandemic, the body’s regional priorities already included rural investment, the development of healthy food systems, water scarcity and pest control.

The UN body said population growth and urbanisation widened the gap between regional consumption and production, a problem amplified by natural hazards, conflicts and prolonged crises. Additionally, small scale agriculture has been overlooked by regional policymakers, despite its potential to improve the lives of thousands of families in rural areas.

The region has seen a "lost decade" for food security with systemic risks, said Ms Bechdol.

Already racked by water scarcity and desertification, it will be severely affected by climate change.

“At the beginning of this season, we had to face climatic events such as floods and landslides, particularly in arable lands and farming lands where floods took place and we are currently working hand in hand with FAO in order to resolve the issue and respond to needs,” said a speaker from Sudan.

“One of the other problems we are facing is desert locusts. We are counting on friends to help resolve our problems.”

The region’s reliance on imports makes it particularly vulnerable to changes in food prices, a problem raised by Yemeni and Lebanese representatives.

“As the situation may worsen, we will be facing a true crisis in the country,” said Lebanon’s Minister of Agriculture, Abbas Murtada.

Ms Al Mheiri said the UAE was committed to supporting the FAO response plan and neighbouring countries.

“We are ready to support and stand by our brothers and sisters in the region,” she said.

The biog

Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi

Age: 23

How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them

Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need

Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman

Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs 

Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing

UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

Roll%20of%20Honour%2C%20men%E2%80%99s%20domestic%20rugby%20season
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Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net

Which honey takes your fancy?

Al Ghaf Honey

The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year

Sidr Honey

The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments

SPECS
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How to register as a donor

1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention

2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants

3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register. 

4) The campaign uses the hashtag  #donate_hope

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics

 

Company Fact Box

Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019

Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO

Based: Amman, Jordan

Sector: Education Technology

Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed

Stage: early-stage startup 

Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.

AGL AWARDS

Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)

Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

Despacito's dominance in numbers

Released: 2017

Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon

Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube

Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification

Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.

Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards

South and West: From a Notebook
Joan Didion
Fourth Estate 

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

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 
Health Valley

Founded in 2002 and set up as a foundation in 2006, Health Valley has been an innovation in healthcare for more than 10 years in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
It serves as a place where companies, businesses, universities, healthcare providers and government agencies can collaborate, offering a platform where they can connect and work together on healthcare innovation.
Its partners work on technological innovation, new forms of diagnostics and other methods to make a difference in healthcare.
Its agency consists of eight people, four innovation managers and office managers, two communication advisers and one director. It gives innovation support to businesses and other parties in its network like a broker, connecting people with the right organisation to help them further