In one of the most ambitious attempts to improve the UAE’s agriculture outlook and ensure food security, the country’s Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid has started the Plant the Emirates campaign. This national project is meant for increasing the production of agri-products in the integrated manner for making food security strong in the country. A completion of the project was launched after a UAE Cabinet meeting at the Al Marmoom farm in Dubai on 6th October 2024.
About The Key Features of the Initiative
The Plant the Emirates program will create a national agriculture centre for enhancing the efficiency of the arable products of the nation. Furthermore, Sheikh Mohammed talked about the goal of the project focusing on establishing the culture of keeping agriculture in home, schools, and new generations as the late Sheikh Zayed aimed at greening the UAE.
The initiative aims to:
- Improve food security by raising the levels of production of agriculture produce.
- Develop and put into practice sophisticated technologies that will enhance agriculture.
- Encourage PPPs to increase the sector’s size.
- It targets at the encouragement of the growth of other green areas in the UAE to maintain sustainability.
- The following chapter goes straight to discussing ambitious targets that need to be met for the subsequent five-year period.
As part of the initiative, several targets have been set to achieve within the next five years:
- A 20 per cent increase on the produce to be imported from local farms.
- Organic farms; there has been a tremendous hike of a 25 percent.
- Increase by at least 30 per cent of climate smart farming solutions.
- Cutting down of agricultural waste by fifty percent.
- There is also predicted an increase of the agricultural workforce by 15%.
- Thus featured local products in to the tune of at least 25% in the hospitality industry.
- 85 % of the farms will aim at achieving the quality classification seal.
National Campaigns Tasks and Sustainable Business Targets
It shall also help elicit participation from all locals by adopting home growing of the produce and thus acting out a policy that would green up the nation. Paddy, beans, vegetables, fruits and dates are few of them which will be sold through National campaigns, seasonal markets and exhibitions emphasizing the sustainability of the crops that are produce in UAE.
