His Excellency Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, held three meetings aimed at sourcing ideas to enhance food security, strengthening the food supply chain, and accelerating the nation’s transition to the green economy and the circular economy. In total, the gatherings drew the participation of over 150 representatives of academia, public and private sector agriculture and fisheries entities, and waste management industry players.
The meetings aligned with the ‘Designing the Next 50’ project, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, that seeks to involve citizens and residents in shaping the next five decades of the country through presenting feasible ideas in various fields.
His Excellency Dr Al Nuaimi said: “Over the course of five decades, the UAE has witnessed an unprecedented boom across the board, and as part of its forward-looking approach, it is engaging the community in shaping the next 50 years through the ‘Designing the Next 50’ project.”
He added: “In line with its commitment to implementing the directives of the country’s wise leadership, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) organized a series of site visits as well as in-person and virtual meetings with its stakeholders to explore the future of the environmental sectors in the UAE.”
Meeting with academia
In the Minister’s meeting with the representatives of academic institutions, the participants proposed creating a database network of future initiatives and projects for government entities, private sector businesses, and academic institutions to enable their research centers to promptly contribute to the initiatives through R&D.
Moreover, they presented an idea for establishing a research team to study native crops that can be cultivated on a large scale and used as feed without depleting natural resources, particularly water. The team would also explore the compatibility of crops from other regions with UAE climate and their benefits if grown locally.
Another proposal involved expanding research in saline agriculture on the country’s coastline that would test the salt tolerance of various plants. Saline agriculture supports biodiversity, as trees provide natural habitats for terrestrial and marine species, and help improve air quality.
Meeting with agriculture and fisheries stakeholders
In the meeting focused on boosting agricultural and fisheries production, the participants presented a wide range of ideas that can advance the sectors and boost food security.
They proposed enhancing the production of staple crops in traditional horizontal farming through leveraging modern technologies and scientific research. To make horizontal farming more eco-friendly, they suggested introducing finance and investment packages to help farmers deploy solar energy in their operations, as well as adopt state-of-the-art water supply solutions to reduce pressure on the UAE’s finite freshwater sources. These include atmospheric water generation – a process that produces water from the humidity in the air – and seawater desalination.
Moreover, the meeting highlighted the importance of establishing a platform to attract investment to small and medium agricultural enterprises to diversify the local market and create competition in terms of produce quality and quantity.
To provide extra income for farmers and encourage them to modernize their practices, the participants suggested expanding the agritourism scheme, launched by MOCCAE as part of its national ecotourism project, through facilitating licensing procedures.
Furthermore, they recommended granting agricultural entrepreneurs and investors exemption from customs duties, and enabling an easy and convenient import process for farming supplies, similar to the industrial sector.
The representatives of the fisheries sector proposed setting up an integrated research network connecting concerned government entities, led by MOCCAE, and private sector marine research centers to increase fish stocks through experimenting with new species in aquaculture.
Meeting with local waste management entities
The meeting with representatives of the waste management industry from the public and private sectors explored ways to tackle waste issues in the next five decades. The participants called for establishing a unified regulatory framework for waste-handling processes, and educating the public about sustainable consumption and eco-friendly waste disposal. They proposed running nationwide awareness campaigns and incorporating sustainable waste management in the curricula.
Another idea involved creating a comprehensive national waste database that would facilitate the work of private sector companies that handle waste collection, segregation, recycling, processing, and reuse.
Moreover, the participants noted that the economic and commercial value of waste motivates the private sector to invest in integrated waste management. Therefore, they suggested that the public and private sector entities carry out regular surveys of the local and international markets’ needs for raw materials that are sourced through waste recycling. The outcomes can help determine the required investment and the AI technologies that can be leveraged to manage waste and turn it from a burden for the government to a revenue source for the sector.
To equip the young generation with the knowledge to address the waste challenge, the participants proposed setting up a committee of representatives of the public and private sectors and academia to develop university courses on the use of AI in waste management. This can help meet the requirements of the local job market in this area, as well as develop the right technology domestically.
At the end of the meetings, His Excellency Dr Al Nuaimi emphasized that the UAE’s development journey over the past five decades has been shaped by the shared vision and ideas of its population. He urged the participants to continue on the same path and play an active role in designing the future of the country.