A "green revolution” where Dubai has sown in the middle of its dessert an ultra-modern vertical farm to slash out its lean on food imports. Batches of vegetable crops are lined up in a multi-storey format, where the light and irrigation is regulated by Al-Badia market garden farm and also efficiently 90 percent of the water used.
The farm's director Basel Jammal, said that it was a green revolution in the middle of the dessert. He also quoted "A perfect amount of water, humidity, light and heat is made available to each plant, similar like taking care of a 5 star hotel guest".
The pandemic has shaken the global supply chains which has mad United Arab Emirates refocus on it food security. The UAE has a little cultivable land and encounters heat.
Dubai hold roughly 3.3 million inhabitants from 200 different nationalities, which largely relies on expensive water supply, and the food needs of the inhabitants have grown and diversified.
Future prospects
Dubai's dependence on imports sums up to 90 percent of its food needs. Dubai's state-of-the-art port stocks up the supermarkets with a variety of produce which is imported from different parts of the world for diversified food choices.
Dubai in the past had bought and leased agricultural land abroad, primarily in east Africa, to sustain adequate supplies in times of crisis. High-tech agriculture and stockpiling are few strategies used to minimise its over-reliance on imports
Basel Jammal, said " The model farm is a 'choice for the future', where computer-age has taken over. All year round we will produce locally without worrying about the external factors like drought, climate change or rainfall and lessen our dependence on imports.
Like the Al-Badia market garden farm, Abdellatif al-Banna has also joined the innovation drive. Using the technology of hydroponics -- without soil the independent farmer of Abdellatif al-Banna is growing pineapples and making his produce accessible to buy via internet.
A lot of farmers are also playing a part in this innovation drive in the cultivation of vegetation, fruits dairy production and also sea food.
Omar Bouchehab, who chairs Dubai's Food Security Committee said “Most of the farms are private ventures, but they are actively supported by Emirati authorities”.