A weekly page presented by «Emirates Today», in cooperation with the National Archives of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, with the aim of introducing the life in the Emirates before the union, and during its early beginnings, and the great effort made by the founding fathers of the state to establish it, and link it with the achievements of the leaders of the Emirates today And her children are achievements that the world has witnessed.
Although the negative repercussions of the pandemic of the "Covid-19" virus spread to various areas of life around the world, there are sectors that have witnessed great popularity, and have turned into the center of attention of countries and individuals alike, including the digital space, which has become a parallel world in which the life that stopped its manifestations continues Indeed, so does the agriculture and food security sector, which has become a concern for countries and governments to provide for the food needs of their people. In the Emirates, the words of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, reassured everyone that "medicine and food are a red line ... and the Emirates are able to secure them indefinitely ... do not cripple them", these Words created an oasis of hope for everyone, and created a state of safety and reassurance among adults and children.
Food security valve
In light of the pandemic, the field of agriculture became in the spotlight, and it became clear that what the Emirates invested over more than four decades in the field of agriculture had paid off, and that the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God bless him, was a pioneer in his interest in the agricultural sector. From the beginning of the establishment of the federation, which was indicated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, saying: “The father, Sheikh Zayed, may God bless him, was giving special attention to agriculture and providing it with support, and he never recognized the obstacles and challenges before it, and he did not listen to Those who told him that agriculture has no future in our country, because, may God have mercy on him, was far-sighted, and believes that agriculture is essential in the life of any society, and His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, continued to pay attention to this sector and provide forms of support All of the farmers, to motivate them and develop their vital agricultural projects. ”
Sheikh Zayed believed from the beginning the importance of agriculture, which he expressed in his famous saying: “Show me a country with a strong agricultural base, I will show you a strong, well-established country.” And also his saying: “Give me agriculture, I guarantee you a present.” So he made a lot of effort since he He was the ruler of Al-Ain, to develop agriculture and reclaim new lands and to dig and renew water springs in it. After the establishment of the state, he allocated a huge budget to develop the agricultural sector in the state, and he himself wandered around the country to learn about the requirements of farmers and the problems and difficulties they face to overcome them, with the aim of attracting more farmers and launching local agricultural projects.
Suitable solutions
The late Sheikh Zayed set appropriate solutions to the main problems that this sector suffers from, such as scarcity of water resources and arable land, soil salinity, difficult environmental conditions, high production costs, agricultural pests, and post-harvest losses, and has made numerous efforts to conserve water resources, With a focus on promoting the use and installation of modern irrigation systems to replace the flood irrigation method, which wastes large amounts of water, and the result was that the proportion of the use of modern irrigation systems, such as (sprinkler, drip and fountain irrigation systems) to 91% in 2011, after it was 32 % In 1999. The number of farms increased from 4,000 in 1971 to 35,704 in 2011, on an area of 105,257 hectares.
As a result of the efforts of the UAE, there are now 54 organic vegetable farms, three animal production farms, and one manufacturing facility. The area of organic production lands in the Emirates increased to 3,920 hectares at the end of 2013, according to the official website of the Emirates government.
Ambitious projects
In order to continue the march of agricultural development and push the local agricultural production to work towards achieving the self-sufficiency of the state, the year 2020 witnessed the launch of several important projects in the UAE in this sector, foremost of which is the formation of the Emirates Council for Food Security, with the aim of strengthening the system of food security governance between the various authorities in the state, Targets of the National Food Security Strategy. The Council is chaired by the Minister of State for Food Security, Maryam Bint Muhammad Saeed Harib Al Muhairi, and is the first woman minister in the world for food security. On June 28, 2020, the cabinet approved the launch of the national system for sustainable agriculture, aimed at increasing the self-sufficiency rate in the country from agricultural crops, improving the economic returns to the sector, increasing investments in it and employing technology to raise the food productivity of the agricultural sector. The system aims to achieve a set of axes at the economic, social and environmental levels that include: increasing the percentage of self-sufficiency in the country for the targeted agricultural crops at an annual rate of 5%, improving the economic returns to the farm by 10% annually, increasing the workforce in the field by 5% annually, and rationalizing the amount of water Used in the production unit at 15% annually.
Also, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, adopted Federal Law No. (3) for the year 2020 regarding the regulation of the strategic stock of food commodities in the state, aimed at organizing the strategic stock of foodstuffs in the state, in the event of crises, emergencies and disasters, and achieving sustainability In the field of food. In 2020, the UAE also launched the National System for Sustainable Agriculture, which aims to increase the country's self-sufficiency rate of agricultural crops, improve the economic returns to the sector, increase investments in it and employ technology to raise food productivity for the agricultural sector. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in the UAE has put among its priorities an increase in the use of water technology among farmers, and this technology depends on nutrient-rich water for plant growth without soil, or with a small amount of soil. This method saves approximately 70% of water, while it allows for a longer growing season, and avoids harmful chemicals. To date, 87 commercial farms are using this technology.
Food Research Platform
The Food Security Bureau in the UAE launched the food research platform, so that experts can share it with their latest discoveries and publications in eight promising areas of research. The platform also aims to meet the needs of a wide range of stakeholders regarding data and information related to research and development in the field of sustainable food production and food security in the UAE.
Global Food Security Index
The UAE advanced 10 places in the global food security index, moving from 31st in 2018 to 21st in 2019. This significant progress reflects the efforts made by the government of the country, to make the UAE a leading center on the global level in the field of innovation-based food security. The index is based on three main criteria linked to food security: affordability, food availability, and food quality and safety. The index covered the evaluation of 113 countries around the world. The National Food Security Strategy aims to raise the ranking of the UAE, to be among the top 10 countries in the world in the food security index by 2021.
87 commercial farms adopting hydroponics technology.
54 organic vegetable farms in the country.
• Sheikh Zayed has developed solutions to agricultural problems, such as scarcity of water resources, arable land and soil salinity.
• The year 2020 witnessed important projects in the agricultural sector, foremost of which was the formation of the Emirates Council for Food Security.