release"The National Agricultural Initiative to Adopt Climate Smart Crops in the UAE"

Al Ain, April 26 / WAM / The second edition of the “Emirates Agricultural Conference and Exhibition”, which concluded today in Al Ain, witnessed the official launch of the “National Agricultural Initiative to Adopt Climate Smart Crops in the United Arab Emirates”, in a strategic step led by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in cooperation with the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA).

The initiative comes to consolidate the UAE’s position as a leading global model in climate-adapted agriculture, by transforming the outputs of scientific research into field solutions that ensure the sustainability of water resources and achieve national food sovereignty, in line with the goals of the National Food Security Strategy 2051.

Through its strategic axes, the initiative seeks to diversify the national food basket, reduce dependence on imports, and enhance self-sufficiency in food and feed production, ensuring the building of a flexible and sustainable local production system.

Her Excellency Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al-Dahhak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, confirmed that the launch of the initiative represents a radical shift in the philosophy of national agricultural production, as the state places enhancing food security at the heart of its strategic priorities.

Her Excellency said: “We are establishing a new phase of food sovereignty based on knowledge and innovation, and through this initiative we seek to adopt climate-smart solutions that are specifically designed to suit the environmental specificity of the UAE, which ensures that we build a flexible food system capable of facing global challenges and meeting the aspirations of our future generations for a safe and sustainable future.”

Her Excellency added that moving towards climate-smart crops is the optimal and sustainable investment that takes into account the nature of our desert climate and the scarcity of our water resources. This initiative contributes to raising the efficiency of agricultural productivity and developing the capabilities of our citizen farmers and agricultural cadres to adopt innovative practices that guarantee the highest economic return and the lowest environmental footprint. We believe that our investment in agricultural innovation is an investment in the nation’s sustainability, and by enabling these crops in our Emirati soil, we are establishing a global model for how to adapt technology and scientific research to serve our food goals amid severe climate changes.

Her Excellency said: “These crops, with their unique characteristics, may seem like an unusual addition to our traditional food system, but we are betting with certainty on the awareness and flexibility of our authentic Emirati society in developing its food heritage by keeping pace with everything that is new and sustainable. This is the proactive approach that our wise leadership has established in various areas of life… When we keep pace with development, we adopt what suits our nature and achieves our goals. Developing food heritage is “The UAE’s innovative crops are necessary to enhance our climate resilience and ensure the sustainability of our resources, so that our tables remain full now and in the future.”

For her part, Her Excellency Dr. Tarifa Al Zaabi, Director General of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), praised the launch of this national initiative, describing it as an advanced model of integration between government vision, specialized research expertise, and field application.

Her Excellency said that this initiative is an important step in the process of transforming scientific knowledge into applicable agricultural and food solutions, and it translates more than 25 years of research work led by ICBA in developing and testing crops capable of adapting to salinity, high temperatures, and water scarcity. Through this partnership, ICBA contributes to transferring this scientific legacy from laboratories and field experiments to farmers’ fields and food value chains, bringing agricultural innovation closer to the needs of producers and consumers, and supporting the employment of climate-smart crops within A more diverse and sustainable food system in the UAE.”

Her Excellency added: “The importance of this partnership lies in that it builds a practical path to test promising crops and gradually develop their uses, linking scientific research, field application, and food manufacturing opportunities. For ICBA, the initiative reflects the essence of its mission to make science more closely linked to agricultural reality, and to transform the challenges of salinity, water scarcity, and heat into practical solutions that serve farms, society, and local food chains.”

In its technical essence, the initiative relies on four strategic crops adapted to the Emirati environment, led by millet (foxtail and white) and sorghum, which represent a practical solution to the challenges of water scarcity, as they consume up to 50% less water than traditional grains, while maintaining high productivity levels under harsh temperatures that may exceed 45 degrees Celsius.

The advantages of these grains are not limited only to their environmental resilience, but extend to their superior nutritional value as they are rich in fiber and minerals and are naturally gluten-free, making them an opportunity to meet the needs of the modern consumer looking for healthy and sustainable options.

As part of the initiative’s endeavor to make these crops an authentic part of the Emirati table, a specialized “Emirati Recipe Book” will be developed, based on its basic components on these climate-smart crops, to be a practical guide that inspires families and various people interested in food to integrate these products into the local diet with an innovative heritage touch that combines the authenticity of the past and the sustainability of the future.

With regard to the livestock sector, the importance of the “blue panicum grass” crop is highlighted as one of the innovative solutions in providing high-quality fodder with the least consumption of fresh water resources. This crop is characterized by its superior ability to tolerate high salinity and resistance to drought, which allows it to be grown in lands affected by salinity and irrigated with unconventional water sources.

This integrated system of crops does not only aim to increase the amount of local production, but also seeks to find a precise balance between agricultural growth and preserving groundwater, which paves the way for transforming UAE agriculture into a strong, sustainable, and climate-smart economic sector par excellence.

The initiative is based on a precise implementation plan divided into two strategic phases. The first phase witnesses the launch of 45 applied field experiments on state farms with an area of ​​one thousand square meters for each experiment, to ensure that crops are compatible with the local soil and to test the efficiency of drip irrigation systems in reducing water consumption.

In parallel with the field aspect, the initiative places national capacity building at the top of its priorities, by targeting training 45 Emirati farmers and qualifying 50 agricultural mentors within the “Preparation of Trainers” program, to ensure the sustainability of knowledge and the transfer of technical expertise to the largest number of local producers, while the second phase is devoted to commercial expansion and building partnerships with the private sector to expand the scope of distribution and access to local and global markets.

The initiative represents a promising national platform to enhance integration between government and research agencies and the private sector, which opens the way for building future partnerships that support the adoption of climate-smart crops and expand the scope of their application in the UAE.

The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment is leading this path in cooperation with the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), allowing us to benefit from research and applied expertise in testing these crops and developing scalable models.

The initiative is expected to contribute to stimulating the interest of multiple sectors, including retail, food manufacturing, finance, agricultural services, and hospitality, through future opportunities to support value chains associated with climate-smart crops, and facilitate their gradual transition from field experiments to broader food and agricultural applications.

This trend can enhance the presence of sustainable food in consumers’ daily lives, and open the way for innovative products and services based on crops capable of adapting to local climate conditions.

This path represents an important step towards building a more integrated system around climate-smart crops, which supports the UAE’s efforts to develop practical solutions for its food security, and enhances the initiative’s ability to achieve a long-term impact through gradual cooperation with the relevant partners.

In a pioneering step to transform scientific outputs into a tangible reality that touches the lives of consumers, the initiative presented the concept of “Resilience” as a first applied model for innovative food products based on climate-smart crops in the UAE.

This concept is based on a scientific legacy that extends more than 25 years of specialized scientific research in dry and salt-affected environments, highlighting the potential of these crops as sustainable, scalable agricultural and food solutions.

This concept gives the initiative an additional practical dimension, by exploring new paths for using climate-smart crops in food models close to the needs of society. Its value lies in that it links agricultural research and thinking about the food use of these crops, within a gradual path that supports the goals of the initiative and enhances opportunities for developing scalable solutions in cooperation with partners.

The visual concept of the “Sumud” philosophy is inspired by the shape of a drop, which symbolizes the balanced relationship between water and soil, while its flowing lines reflect the meanings of flexibility, continuity, and the ability to thrive in difficult environments.

Under the slogan “From our climate-smart crops, the resilience of our food flourishes,” this concept presents an applied model for how to transform the seeds of scientific research into healthy, sustainable, value-added food products, thus enhancing the presence of climate-smart crops in the life of society and supporting sustainable food security trends in the UAE.

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