MAYS IBRAHIM (AL AIN)
Emirati teenagers are turning the UAE's food security ambitions into practical ideas using AI, local farming tools and water-saving systems to respond to some of the country's toughest agricultural challenges.
Their projects are being showcased at the Emirates Agriculture Exhibition in Al Ain until April 26, as part of the youth-led "Mustadeem" programme.
Launched by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in collaboration with Silal and the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture, Mustadeem aims to equip Emirati students aged 13 to 16 with hands-on experience in agriculture, scientific research and environmental sustainability.
Among the participants is 14-year-old Hamda Alwahshi, a Grade 9 student who won first place in the exhibition's Agricultural Innovation Hackathon with an AI platform designed to reduce food waste before it happens.
Her project, "No Waste UAE", uses UAE open data to predict periods of high food consumption, and connects restaurants, charities and food producers to redistribute or repurpose surplus food.
"Instead of addressing food waste after it happens, we prevent it," Alwahshi told Aletihad, explaining that the system can categorise surplus food via barcode scanning to determine whether it can be repurposed, used as animal feed or composted.
The idea was inspired by social habits around hospitality, she said.
"Our culture of generosity is beautiful, but sometimes it leads to food waste, especially during major events."
Hamda said she plans to expand the platform by adding more languages and further developing its machine learning capabilities to improve scalability.
Elsewhere at the exhibition, sisters Latifa Alabdooli, 12, and Rawdha Alabdooli, 16, are showcasing an application designed to support beginner farmers by offering tailored advice based on local environmental conditions.
The app analyses user inputs, including images of plants, and provides guidance on what crops to grow, when to plant them and how to optimise limited resources. It also connects users with experts from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and builds a network of local growers through a community map feature.
"There are many applications like this, but they don't take into account the UAE climate," Rawdha told Aletihad. "Our app gives specific advice based on your environment and resources."
Another student-led project, "Aquaponia", addresses water scarcity and food security through a closed-loop aquaponics system designed for the UAE climate.
Developed by 14-year-old students Naila Al Ahbabi and Maitha Bin Karam, the system combines fish farming and crop cultivation in an underground setup that reduces water usage while producing food locally. The system uses tilapia fish, whose waste produces ammonia-rich water that is filtered and reused to nourish plants before being cycled back into the fish tank.
"We chose tilapia because it can survive in the UAE's climate. Our goal is to find ways to grow more food locally without consuming too much water," Al Ahbabi told Aletihad.
The project aligns with the UAE National Food Security Strategy 2051, which aims to boost domestic food production and position the country as a global leader in innovation-driven food security.