Dubai will soon be home to an integrated modern city that will become a hub for future clean tech-based food and agricultural products and an incubator for researchers, entrepreneurs, startups, and industry experts involved in developing solutions that have the potential to shape the future of the food industry.
With the development of the Food Tech Valley, which was unveiled by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai, the UAE aims to triple its food production.
The new city will spearhead innovation and leverage collaborative networks to lead regional transformation and export knowledge on sustainable food systems globally. Once developed, the facility will support the use of technologies and applied research in food processing and agriculture and apply modern farming techniques, such as vertical farming, aquaculture, and hydroponics, to accelerate self-sufficiency in fresh food produce, and reduce wastage of resources.
Launching the project, HH Sheikh Mohammed said: “Food Tech Valley is part of a series of projects that aim to sustain the UAE’s food, water, and agricultural systems in line with the National Food Security Strategy. Food and medicine represent strategic sectors that help us ensure a prosperous and sustainable future for the next generation.”
The project comes as a partnership between the UAE's Ministry of Food and Water Security and Wasl Properties to explore urban planning of future smart and food-independent cities. The Food Tech Valley is equipped with cutting-edge technologies and aims to achieve the objectives of the National Food Security Strategy 2051 and support a diversified knowledge-based economy.
It will be home to vertical farms, an advanced smart food logistics hub, Research & Development (R&D) facilities, and a marketplace. The project will be driven by a circular economy model and will bring together companies, investors, and researchers in a sustainable agribusiness ecosystem to develop the latest aquaculture and hydroponics technologies. More than, 300 varieties of crops will be produced in the new city using modern farming techniques and the latest agri-technologies.
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