Climate-Smart Agriculture in Abu Dhabi

The limitations imposed by the nature on farming in the UAE are well known and numerous: vast expanses of the country’s land are not suitable for ploughing due to the absence of a rich topsoil, intense heat lingers for well three quarters of the year, and water supplies are few and precious. This does not mean there is no hope or future for farming. Even the early simple supportive policies implemented during the 1970s, which offered significant subsidies, free training, and affordable fertilizers and pesticides to the farming communities, were by no means fruitless. Thanks to the aforementioned supportive policies adopted by the young government of the UAE, the country saw a six-fold growth in agricultural production in the 1980s and the trend continued well into the 2000s, although over 70% of the nation’s food requirements were still imported.

A series of new developments in agritech and climate-smart approaches, however, may be about to change the future of the sector forever. Modular agriculture, vertical farming, and hydroponic farming, for example, have been put into practice in an experimental way in the Middle East in recent years. Abu Dhabi has been a pioneer. This new approach to farming involves the cultivation of crops in modular units, with controlled heat and humidity, which can be installed on top of one another, hence the term vertical agriculture. Much like traditional greenhouses, farming modules are efficient in terms of water consumption, while enjoying smarter temperature control systems. A traditional greenhouse can only get warm by letting the sunlight in and preventing the escape of the resultant heat. A farming module, on the other hand, can electronically adjust dozens of environmental variables in addition to temperature, thus offering the chance to cultivate a wider range of crops suitable for different climates.

Abu Dhabi has seen the launch of agritech start-ups, focusing on leafy greens and fruits, among other things. Madar Farms in the KEZAD zone of Abu Dhabi has been a pioneer of indoor farming in the UAE. Using vertical and hydroponic farming modules, Madar Farms has been cultivating fresh salad vegetables for the Abu Dhabi market in a sustainable manner—produce that would otherwise be impossible to grow in the Emirate. To explain the rationale behind its operations, the company explains that “population growth and urban expansion have put increasing pressure on our food supply,” while also adding that “this problem is more apparent in the Arab region than anywhere else.”

This is indeed the case in the Gulf. The UAE itself has seen a jump in the number of residents which is putting a great deal of pressure on the food supply chain. The UAE was home to just under 345,000 people in the year of its founding in 1971, compared to around 10 million residents and citizens in 2023, around 88% of whom are expats and temporary residents. With so many more mouths to feed, the extra required agricultural producers must come from somewhere, which is clearly an unsustainable trend that needs to change.

To address this issue and more, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has been promoting a shift toward climate-smart agriculture since 2021. “Abu Dhabi has announced the implementation of a comprehensive agricultural development plan aimed at increasing the efficiency of sustainable agricultural production in the emirate,” according to the Gulf Business. The plan sets out to ensure the optimal use of agricultural resources across the Emirate to generate the highest possible yield. This also entails the introduction of more efficient water consumption, as underground water which is traditionally used by farmers in Abu Dhabi is decidedly nonrenewable.

The action plan’s emphasis on water preservation sits well with the rise in popularity of modular and vertical farming in the Emirate. Vertical agriculture is famously efficient in terms of water consumption. Modular farms are essentially a closed loop with minimal evaporation and leakage. It is estimated that such farms consume 99% less water, which makes all the difference in a dry climate. Meanwhile, other UAE-based businesses are looking into further renewable water sources to be used in farming. Manhat, a start-up based in Abu Dhabi, is employing a sophisticated technology to recapture evaporating seawater through distillation, and then uses it to water floating farms. “We leverage the natural water cycle as an ally to produce water sustainably and irrigate crops on floating farms, thereby addressing two of our time’s most pressing issues: water shortage and accessibility to fresh food,” explains the company.

With more renewable water to go around, the implementation of agritech enterprises will be easier than ever. It may still be too early to conclude that Abu Dhabi and the entire UAE’s agriculture sector will pull off a miracle relying on climate-smart approaches, though the elements all seem to be in place. And, above all, the UAE has already accomplished great things that have exceeded everyone’s expectations given its climate. So why not another Emirati-style surprise, this time in agribusiness?