BrazilReport by LOGIC Consulting: UAE seeking a leap in its national food security
The UAE is looking to become a top-ranked nation in terms of food security. A new report from LOGIC Consulting provides an in-depth overview of the current state of food security and what needs to be done to achieve this goal.
The UAE – like much of the rest of the Middle East – faces many challenges when it comes to resources like food and water. Land desertification makes it difficult to sustain agriculture, and shrinking freshwater resources combined with rising temperatures have posed a serious risk.
In order to address these issues, leadership in the UAE has launched what they call the National Strategy for Food Security, which aims to promote sustainable food production using innovative technologies.
“This initiative aims to position the UAE as the global leader in the Global Food Security Index by 2051 and within the top 10 countries in the near future,” notes the LOGIC Consulting report.
“The strategy seeks to establish a comprehensive national system that promotes sustainable food production through advanced technologies and enhances local outputs. Significant advancements have been made in integrating advanced technology into key sectors to enhance services, promote societal well-being, and strengthen food security.”
Currently, the UAE imports up to 90% of its food supply. But a few recent laws sought to change that.
A law passed in 2017 established the Emirati Food Bank, which distributes excess food to the needy, and a 2020 law regulated food reserves that could be used during crises or emergencies. In 2022, the country launched the innovative Food Technology Valley Project scheme, a sort of pilot initiative in high-tech agriculture.
Despite the progress in food security that the UAE has already made, there are still significant obstacles. But the 2051 National Strategy for Food Security aims to address those issues, making the UAE a leader in agribusiness.
Realizing the ambitions
The project is set to focus on using advanced technologies to boost agriculture, something that they have done before already on a smaller scale in the Food Technology Valley Project. The 2051 strategy will look to leverage global partnerships while also pushing for favorable government policy changes at home.
Being a rather ambitious initiative, the 2051 strategy will need to focus on a number of interconnected areas of focus. For example, the UAE will need to build an effective food security model, establish national R&D capabilities, develop a food security database, and ultimately shift public notions and behaviors on food security.
A major part of a successful strategy for food security in the UAE will be public-private collaborations. That will include retail, marketing, distribution, logistics, and consumers – all stakeholders that will need to work together under favorable government regulations.
A successful operating model will also include innovative solutions to agricultural management, including for example “implementing crop rotation and planning using data-driven techniques using tools like GPS, sensors, and drones for precise planting, irrigation, fertilization, and pest management,” the report notes.
More efficient resource management will also be key, with drip irrigation and renewable energy sources that can take advantage of the desert environment. Cutting back on water leakage is a key issue for an increasing number of countries that are now, more than ever, facing soaring temperatures and droughts.
A previous report found that the Middle East’s natural capital urgently needs to be protected, with around half of the region’s GDP being linked to the natural environment. In this area, the UAE has shown leadership, with nature conservation efforts including bringing back major swaths of ecologically-important mangrove forests.
