Climate change brings many challenges for the global farming community whose livelihoods depend on stable weather patterns.
Flooding, droughts, storms, and heatwaves are just a few of the climate-related events the agricultural sector must navigate.
At COP28 and in the months following, the UAE succeeded in getting 159 nations to sign its Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action. These 159 nations represent 530 million farmers.
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The Declaration marks a global shift towards embracing sustainable farming practices. By signing, countries have committed to scale up their adaptation and resilience activities, reducing the vulnerability of our food systems and farmers to the impacts of climate change.
Disruption to farming practices has a knock-on effect on food security. Economist Impact’s 11th Global Food Security Index (2022) documents a third year of deterioration in the global food environment.
The UAE aims to position itself as the world’s best in the Global Food Security Index by 2051. Through our National Food Security Strategy, we are developing a comprehensive system that enables sustainable food production.
One of the ways we will do this is by enhancing local production. By embracing sustainable farming practices and driving innovation in agriculture, we can secure local food sources and build a stable future for our farmers.
The UAE Declaration states that measures to promote sustainable practices must conserve, protect and restore nature. As with any climate-mitigating action, it is vital we strike a balance between healing the planet and unlocking opportunities for those working at the heart of the sector in the UAE.
In agriculture, sustainable practices play an important role in supporting our farmers long-term.
Our Food Security Strategy focuses on increasing agricultural productivity and production without negatively impacting farmers themselves or compromising our fragile ecosystems.
The UAE Cabinet’s National System for Sustainable Agriculture focuses on improving the efficiency of farms, enhancing food self-sufficiency, and creating new economic opportunities for the sector.
I believe projects like Food Tech Valley will help us achieve this. Through its Innovation and R&D centre, and Food Production Zone, innovative new farming methods can be incubated and scaled, before being taken to farmers nationwide.
Similarly, the National Farms Sustainability Initiative aims to increase UAE farmer incomes, secure purchase agreements for domestic production, and develop a sustainable market for farms by securing contracts with government agencies.
The initiative’s first deal by its task force in 2023 saw an arrangement for the supply of food and agricultural products from national farms to some of the largest public sector institutions in the UAE.
Through investment in agri-tech solutions, we must bolster economic resilience by bringing farming costs down and efficiency up.
Our Agriculture 4.0 initiative, for example, seeks to upgrade traditional farms and use technology to optimise production. And our Aim for Climate programme, launched in collaboration with the United States, features 51 innovation sprints designed to accelerate food and agricultural systems innovation to boost efficiency.
An example of an impactful innovation sprint is Reverte: Restoring Productivity to Degraded Cropland and Pastures. The restoration of 1 million hectares of degraded pastureland by 2030 will have a direct impact on farmers’ income.
I am pleased that the COP28 Outcome of the First Global Stocktake document includes sustainable agriculture as an adaptation measure in response to climate change.
This high-profile acknowledgement of the sector, combined with the COP28 legacy and the UAE’s pro-climate, pro-growth strategy, is having widespread impact across the nation.
In 2023, Emirates Development Bank launched the UAE’s first-of-its-kind AgriTech Loans Programme. The loan is designed to empower farms, local growers, and food suppliers by supporting their adaptation and modernisation efforts.
Consumers are also demonstrating more ethically conscious buying habits. Responding to consumer demand by making local produce more varied and readily available will open new markets for farmers.
I believe that by embracing opportunities to build a more sustainable agricultural sector, we reduce the chance of climate-related weather events, improve farmers’ bottom line, and ensure a vibrant future for our smallholders.
(Dr. Amna Al Dahak is the UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment)