The United Arab Emirates aims to become a world leader in food security. A new report from LOGIC Consulting provides a detailed overview of the current state of food security and what needs to be done to achieve this goal.

The UAE, like much of the Middle East, faces numerous challenges when it comes to resources such as food and water. Desertification makes it difficult to sustain agriculture, and dwindling freshwater reserves, combined with rising temperatures, pose a serious risk.

To address these problems, the leadership of the United Arab Emirates has launched a so-called National Food Security Strategy, the aim of which is to promote sustainable food production through the use of innovative technologies.

“The aim of this initiative is to place the UAE at the top of the Global Food Security Index by 2051 and secure its place among the top 10 countries in the near future,” says the LOGIC Consulting report.

“The strategy aims to establish a comprehensive national system that promotes sustainable food production and increases local production through advanced technologies. Significant progress has been made in integrating advanced technologies in key sectors to improve services, promote social well-being and strengthen food security.”

The UAE currently imports up to 90% of its food, but some new laws are set to change that.

A law passed in 2017 established the Emirati Food Bank, which distributes surplus food to those in need, and a 2020 law regulated food reserves that could be used in crises or emergencies. In 2022, the country launched the innovative Food Technology Valley Project, a kind of pilot initiative for high-tech agriculture.

The National Strategy for Food Security has set targets for 2051

Despite the progress the UAE has made in terms of food security, significant obstacles remain, but the National Food Security Strategy 2051 aims to address these issues and make the UAE a leader in the agricultural industry.

Realizing ambitions

The project will focus on using advanced technologies to boost agriculture, something that has been done before on a smaller scale through the Food Technology Valley Project. The 2051 strategy is designed to leverage global partnerships while pushing for favorable policy changes at home.

Since Strategy 2051 is quite an ambitious initiative, it needs to focus on several interrelated priority areas. For example, the UAE needs to develop an effective food security model, build national research and development capacity, develop a food security database and ultimately change public opinion and behavior regarding food security.

A key component of a successful food security strategy in the UAE will be collaboration between the public and private sectors. This includes retail, marketing, distribution, logistics and consumers – all actors that need to work together under favourable government conditions.

A successful operating model also includes innovative agricultural management solutions, including, for example, “implementing crop rotation and planning using data-driven techniques and tools such as GPS, sensors and drones for precise seeding, irrigation, fertilization and pest control,” the report says.

Another key factor is more efficient resource management, for example through drip irrigation and renewable energy sources that can take advantage of the desert environment. Reducing water losses is a key issue for more and more countries, which are struggling with rising temperatures and droughts now more than ever.

A previous report concluded that the Middle East’s natural capital urgently needs to be protected, as around half of the region’s GDP is linked to the natural environment. The UAE has shown leadership in this area by taking conservation efforts, including restoring large areas of ecologically important mangrove forests.