The Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Award for Agricultural Excellence honors the winners of its fourth session, September 16

ABU DHABI, 8th April, 2017 (WAM) – The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority announced the organization of a ceremony honoring the winners of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Award for Agricultural Excellence in its fourth session, on April 16th at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, in the presence of a number of senior officials and strategic partners, in continuation of the award’s journey as one of the most important national initiatives supporting the development of the agricultural sector and enhancing the sustainable food security system in the UAE.

The award recorded 476 entries in the main categories for the fourth session, following the closing of registration in mid-December. This wide participation reflected the growing demand and interest from farmers, livestock breeders and commercial farms, reflecting the advanced position that the award has established as one of the most prominent national initiatives supporting the agricultural sector and food security in the UAE, as well as enhancing awareness of the importance of excellence and innovation in agricultural practices.

During its previous three sessions, the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Award for Agricultural Excellence witnessed wide participation from the emirates of the country, with a total of 1,127 entries, culminating in the victory of 162 farmers and livestock breeders who presented distinguished models in plant and animal production and the adoption of sustainable practices.

These numbers reflect the growing confidence in the award and its expanding impact in supporting farmers and motivating them to improve their performance and adopt more efficient and innovative agricultural methods.

Over the course of four cycles, the award has established its position as one of the most prominent national initiatives supporting the development of the agricultural sector and enhancing the sustainable food security system in the UAE. It has become a stimulating platform for raising the efficiency of plant and animal production and adopting the best international standards in this field. It also plays a pivotal role in promoting positive competition among workers in the agricultural sector and achieving the state’s vision of developing an innovative agricultural sector capable of facing the challenges of water scarcity and climate change, in accordance with the National Food Security Strategy 2051.

The award also serves as a bridge for the winners to reach the international level. It enabled them to win some international awards, including the Paris International Honey Prize.

The announcement of the winners comes as a culmination of an integrated process of careful evaluations that included the desk evaluation phases and field visits, to select the most distinguished and innovative models in the agricultural sector, according to criteria that focus on production efficiency and environmental and economic sustainability, ensuring the highest levels of integrity and transparency in selecting the winners.

In its fourth session, the award adopted developed standards that reflect national trends towards smart agriculture, the use of modern technologies, and enhancing resource efficiency.

The ceremony will honor the winners in the four main categories of the award, which include: the Best Farm Award and the Best Distinguished Estate, the Agricultural Technologies Award, the Commercial Farms Award, and the Distinguished Farmer and Breeder Award, which reflects the comprehensiveness of the award and its keenness to support innovation and sustainability and enhance the efficiency of plant and animal production.

The fourth session also includes 13 sub-categories targeting distinguished farms, youth projects, agricultural innovation, and women’s empowerment in the agricultural sector.

His Excellency Moza Suhail Al Muhairi, Deputy Director General of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority for Regulatory and Administrative Affairs, and Chairman of the Award’s Supreme Committee, confirmed that the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Award for Agricultural Excellence represents a leading national platform for consolidating the concepts of sustainable agriculture, by motivating farmers and livestock breeders to adopt the latest technologies and innovative solutions that contribute to raising production efficiency and promoting the optimal use of natural resources.

She pointed out that the successive successes achieved by the award would not have been achieved without the unlimited support and sound vision of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the UAE, Deputy Prime Minister, Head of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, who pays great attention to the agricultural sector, and always directs to promote innovation, empower farmers, and develop the food security system in the UAE.

She added that His Highness’s directives constitute a major impetus for continuing to advance the award and expand its impact, and to consolidate its role as a national platform stimulating agricultural excellence and sustainability, in line with the state’s directions in promoting agricultural innovation and supporting the shift towards more efficient and sustainable production systems.

Her Excellency explained that the award has succeeded, over its previous cycles, in making a qualitative and tangible impact in the agricultural sector, by spreading the culture of excellence and innovation, improving the quality of local products and increasing their competitiveness in the markets, in a way that supports the UAE’s directions towards building an integrated system for sustainable food security.

She also pointed out that the award contributed to enhancing the exchange of experiences between farmers, adopting the best international practices, and supporting the shift towards smart agriculture through the use of modern technologies such as hydroponics and artificial intelligence, in keeping with global developments in this field.

She pointed out that the evaluation stages that the participants underwent were characterized by the highest levels of accuracy and comprehensiveness, as field visits enabled the evaluation teams to monitor the actual impact of agricultural practices on the ground and ensure their compliance with standards of sustainability and production efficiency, ensuring the selection of the best agricultural models at the state level.

Her Excellency affirmed that the award continues to support the objectives of the National Food Security Strategy, especially in light of the global changes taking place in supply chains and the increased need to enhance local production. It contributes to enabling farmers to adopt innovative solutions and modern technologies that enhance production efficiency and increase the ability of the agricultural sector to meet the needs of society, thus supporting the sustainability of food availability and enhancing the resilience of the national food system.

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