The Minister of Climate Change and the Environment has set out the UAE’s green vision, supported by the launch of an agriculture hub to help develop a fresh crop of farmers and bolster food security, and a museum celebrating farming history.
Dr Amna Al Dahak told The National about moves to champion home-grown produce as the Emirates launched the National Agricultural Museum and announced the start of operations by the National Agriculture Centre.
The museum, inside the exhibition space at the Adnec Centre in Al Ain, takes visitors on an immersive journey charting the rise of UAE agriculture – from traditional oasis farming to today’s high-tech greenhouses.
It was unveiled as part of the four-day Emirates Agriculture Conference, which concludes on Saturday and has brought together governments bodies, start-ups and universities.
“As part of our national Emirates Agriculture Conference and Exhibition, and this first edition, we made sure that we’re not only talking about creating collaborations and partnerships in the agriculture sector for a sustainable growth but also to show the whole story behind the agricultural sector,” Dr Al Dahak told The National.
The museum covers 100 square metres inside the sprawling exhibition space and is open to all conference attendees.
“It captures three time zones,” Dr Al Dahak said. “One is the past, since the inception of the UAE and the start of agricultural development, specifically when it started in Al Ain, then moving to the current state of agriculture, and then looking at the future of agriculture.”
“We have interactive experiences, because you need to ensure that the audience move out of it with new knowledge, with new understanding and new vision of how they can support the sector.”
Dr Al Dahak said the museum’s future extends beyond the agriculture exhibition and an announcement on that would be made soon after the event.
National Agriculture Centre starts operations
The National Agriculture Centre is a flagship initiative under the Plant the Emirates national programme.
Mohammed Saeed Al Nuaimi, undersecretary of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, outlined ambitious goals for the centre, including increasing productive farms by 20 per cent, expanding organic farms by 25 per cent and reducing agricultural waste by 50 per cent.
“This centre will be the engine room for agricultural transformation in the UAE,” he said.
“It will provide hands-on training, expert consultancy and tailored support to farmers while driving innovation through partnerships and applied research.”
Veteran agribusiness leader Sultan Salem Al Shamsi was announced as the centre’s director. With more than 25 years of experience in smart agriculture, agri-finance and value chain development, Dr Al Shamsi is expected to lead the centre’s drive to make UAE-grown food more competitive in local and global markets.
Young people at the centre of transformation
Engaging young people has been a theme of the conference, with a youth council established to help involve the next generation.
“We’re always capturing the interest, the vision and making the youth an inseparable part of the process of this development,” said Dr Al Dahak.
The minister added that government, private sector, academic and international co-operation are vital to them UAE’s farming future.
