Today's Edition
AL AIN (ALETIHAD)
Her Excellency Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, visited the farm of Abdulrahman Al Shamsi, an Emirati agricultural entrepreneur, in Al Ain on Monday.
The visit, attended by several representatives from the local media, aimed to examine the latest agricultural practices and technologies deployed at the farm - serving as a model of modern and advanced national agriculture in the UAE, producing crops throughout the year.
'Plant the Emirates'
Her Excellency’s visit to the farm aligns with the objectives of the 'Plant the Emirates' National Programme, which seeks to support the UAE's agricultural development goals, enhance sustainable national food security, foster new partnerships with the private sector, expand green spaces across the nation, and ensure their long-term sustainability.
During the visit, Her Excellency Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak expressed her satisfaction with the farm's production capacity of various strategic crops, which aligns with the UAE's aspirations to enhance local crop yield as part of its National Food Security Strategy 2051.
Her Excellency Dr. Al Dahak said: "We encourage local farmers to expand their agricultural activities, and are committed to providing them with all the necessary support to boost production and ensure its distribution across markets throughout the UAE."
Dr Al Dahak emphasised the vital role of the community as a key partner in promoting agricultural practices and contributing to food production from their homes, in line with the 'Plant the Emirates' National Programme.
The programme will soon introduce various events and initiatives designed to engage all members of society and enhance their ability to cultivate fruits and vegetables at home for their own use.
National Agriculture Centre
Her Excellency also emphasised the significance of the National Agriculture Centre, details of which will be revealed early next year. This centre will provide more grants and funding programmes to support innovative projects in agriculture and modern farming technology and achieve a number of objectives, such as increasing productive farms, upgrading organic farms, reducing waste in agricultural production, and others.
Her Excellency underscored the vital role played by the media in promoting national farms and the UAE's endeavours to support agriculture and promote sustainable food security in the UAE.
‘Lamborghini chicken’
Spanning more than 160,000 square metres, Abdulrahman Al Shamsi's farm has immense potential in agricultural production and livestock development, from ‘Lamborghini chicken’ to Boer goat.
The farm, which began operating in 1996, produces more than 150 tonnes of crops including dates, pomegranates, courgettes, watermelons, lemons, cabbage and mangoes. The farm is self-sufficient, with the food for the fish and the livestock grown on the farm, and water from the fish pools used to irrigate the crops. The ammonia-rich fish waste is used as a fertiliser, and the plastic coverings on the soil help to conserve moisture.
The farm extensively employs the aquaculture approach, which has helped increase crop yields by three times and helps conserve water resources by 90 per cent.
