Minister Visits Farms In Dubai, Abu Dhabi
Farmers Urged To Embrace Modern Cultivation Practices
February 09, 2019
Dubai: Dr. Thani Ahmad Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, paid a visit to a number of farms, where he urged subsistence farmers to move to commercial agriculture and embrace modern cultivation practices to boost their contributions to local food supply.
Among the farms Al Zeyoudi toured were Madar Farms, an emerging agricultural technology company in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, where he was shown hydroponics containers that the company designed and installed to produce leafy plants all year round.
Other sites the minister visited included Eco-Villa, a pilot project incorporating water- and energy-saving technologies located in Masdar City, Nabteh Farm in Al Khawaneej and the Abdul Latif Al Banna farm in Al Aweer area in Dubai where he reviewed the farm’s agricultural produce and livestock.
Engineer Saif Al Shara, assistant undersecretary for the sustainable communities sector in the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), Sultan Alwan Al Habsi, assistant undersecretary for the regions Sector at MOCCAE and Engineer Mohammad Al Dhahnani, director of health and agricultural development Department at MOCCAE, accompanied Dr. Al Zeyoudi.
They toured the agricultural areas of Madar Farms, an emerging agricultural technology company in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, to view the hydroponics containers that the company designed and installed to produce leafy plants all year round.
They next went to the Eco-Villa, a pilot project in Masdar City incorporating water- and energy-saving technologies. The prototype uses around 72 per cent less energy and 35 per cent less water than a typical comparably-sized villa in Abu Dhabi, displacing an estimated 63 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
Later, the officials toured the Nabteh Farm in Al Khawaneej area in Dubai.
The minister was updated about the greenhouses that the company provides to members of the community to install in their homes and help them grow vegetables.
Their last stop was at the farm of Abdul Latif Al Banna, in the Al Aweer area of Dubai.
They were shown the farm’s agricultural produce and livestock.
At the end of the tour, Dr. Al Zeyoudi pointed out that sustaining food diversity relies heavily on innovation and the employment of cutting-edge technologies.