Join MEED’s exclusive webinar together with DP World and Jafza on 12 April 2021 as they discuss how vertical farming is creating new opportunities for investors and developers alike.
The webinar will look at the UAE's food security strategies and the central role of innovative data technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) in ensuring greater resilience in food security.
With a keynote address from the UAE's Minister of State for Food Security Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri, the webinar will also examine the latest trends and innovations in agriculture and the opportunities to improve the quality of local produce.
Confidence during Covid
The webinar comes as the UAE, which established the region’s first Ministry for Food Security in 2017, responds to the impact of the pandemic on food supply networks.
Covid-19 has highlighted the importance of food security for public confidence and wellbeing, and the UAE, thanks to its long-standing focus on food and water security, has been one of the leading nations in its response to the crisis.
Central to the UAE’s success has been its willingness to innovate and adopt new processes quickly to overcome challenges.
Agritech
Long regarded as one of the least innovative segments of the global economy, agricultural technology (agritech) has seen growing investment in recent years. This has led to a surge in interest in new farming methods to ensure sustainable food security.
The implementation of digital data technology in traditional farms has increased crop yields and removed waste from both the production and logistics side of the industry.
Meanwhile, innovations in energy generation and irrigation technology are opening up a huge new industry in vertical and urban farming. Through prioritizing food security and the need to ensure an effective food logistics, storage, and distribution capability to meet the requirements of its growing population and expanding economy, the UAE has emerged as a major investor in vertical farming.