"Mohammed bin Zayed Water Initiative" The names of the teams qualifying for the next stage of the challenge are announced "Water for agriculture"

Abu Dhabi, September 11/ WAM/ The “Mohammed bin Zayed Water Initiative” today announced the names of 21 qualified teams to the second stage of “Water for Agriculture”, which is the first in a series of challenges affiliated with the “Water Challenge” program launched by the initiative.

The qualified teams were chosen from among the hundreds of requests for participation received from 54 countries, after these teams provided innovative and promising solutions aimed at reducing water consumption in the agricultural sector while maintaining or improving crop productivity, which represents an urgent priority in areas that suffer from water scarcity at the global level.
The qualified teams include a group of innovators representing 13 countries from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.

The list includes leading and emerging companies, as well as research institutions, all of which are working to develop innovative solutions to address the challenges of water scarcity in the agricultural sector.

The areas of solutions provided to include smart irrigation systems, the operation of glass homes with automatic systems, artificial intelligence analyzes, water -hall -biased water, microbial stimuli, water extraction techniques from air, wastewater reuse, vital sensors for plants, and water storage infrastructure.

These solutions embody the spirit of innovation and the common vision of the qualified teams to enhance the productivity of the agricultural sector through effective applications that contribute to reducing the consumption of water resources.
This step represents one of the most important stations of the challenge march in which registration was closed on June 30 .. The qualified difference will move to the next stage to display its innovative solutions to a specialized jury starting this month.
After reviewing the participating solutions and conducting field visits in the UAE and abroad, an elite group of teams that qualify for the finals will be invited to test its innovative technologies for internal and external agriculture solutions in the country starting in November 2025.
The next stage is scheduled to witness the announcement of the list of qualifiers for the final qualifiers during January 2026, provided that the winning team will be announced first and other teams that won the advanced positions of the challenge in December 2026.

The challenge was designed to support the implementation of practical solutions on the ground in areas such as smart irrigation, fine agriculture, cooling glass houses, and “circular use” systems for water.
The “water challenge for agriculture” was launched in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, the “Aspire”, the arm of business development and the management of technological projects at the “Advanced Technology Research Council”, and “baskets” specialized in the field of fresh food products and agricultural technology.

The total value of the challenge prizes is 8 million dirhams, and aims to find innovative and practical solutions to implement them in the UAE, with the possibility of expanding their application in other countries that suffer from the challenges of water scarcity.
Requests to participate in the challenge from different countries of the world emphasize the importance of enhancing international cooperation and integrating experiences between different sectors to contribute to accelerating the innovation of common solutions in the fields of water and agriculture.

The challenge succeeded in attracting innovators from multiple fields, starting with entrepreneurs from emerging markets, to startups in advanced technology and leading companies in the field of agricultural technology, with the aim of developing effective and widely applicable solutions that contribute to reducing water consumption and enhancing the efficiency of their use in the agricultural sector.
On this occasion, Aisha Al -Ateeqi, Executive Director of the Mohammed bin Zayed Water Initiative, said: “We are pleased to witness this wide international attention and innovative technologies that the teams made in response to challenging” water for agriculture “, as water use in agriculture represents one of the most prominent areas capable of creating a qualitative shift in facing the challenges of water scarcity worldwide, especially in areas that suffer from this growing problem.”
She added: “The effective and applicable innovations presented by the participating teams are an important step towards finding practical solutions that contribute to addressing this urgent challenge and enhancing the use of water in the agricultural sector that we all depend on and we look forward to following up the development of these technologies during the coming stages of the challenge.”
For his part, His Excellency Dhafer Al Qasimi, CEO of “Sallal” company, said: “The water scarcity is a major challenge to agriculture in the UAE and many countries around the world and requires its treatment of joint cooperation and innovative solution And enhancing the circular use systems for water .. By testing and applying these innovative solutions, we can contribute to protecting our water resources and enhancing food security in the UAE today and in the future.
For its part, said, His Excellency Moza Suhail Al -Muhairi, Deputy Director General of Organizational and Administrative Affairs at the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, said: “The qualification of these innovative teams represents an important step towards developing practical solutions to water scarcity and achieving the desired goals of the initiative.”

She pointed out that the authority will make fun of its research stations and experimental centers to simulate climatic and agricultural conditions and test the feasibility of these innovative solutions and expressed the authority’s pride to be part of this ambitious scientific effort, stressing that this cooperation with the Mohammed bin Zayed water matches is consistent with the strategic goals of the UAE to enhance its food security and establish its position as a global center for innovation and sustainability.
In turn, Stephen Timbano, CEO of Aspire, said: “We believe in Aspire that innovative solutions must be applied not only in laboratories, but on the ground and embodies the“ water challenge for agriculture ”our mission in converting distinctive ideas into widely developed technology and can be applied in a complex atmosphere and environment and by testing solutions in the UAE with a focus on the ability to apply them globally, we We contribute to enhancing sustainable use of water in agriculture, and paved the way for finding solutions that can be developed and expanded to include the most needy places. “
More information can be found on the website:

TTPS: //www.mohamedbinzayedwi.ae/ar/al-miyah-challenge-for-Agriculture

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