Humanity has a significant role on our planet Earth as it is the only species that can use soil to grow plant. But the soil needs to be fertile to feed its growing inhabitants and future generations.

 UAE geographical locations does not favour the nation to grow crops. As a desert, the UAE has a very limited amount of arable land, suffers from extreme weather in the summer time, and sees very little rain fall. This climate poses a huge challenge not just for domestic food production, but also for food storage. Water supply is extremely limited and a reliance on desalination makes agricultural production difficult.  To combat the situation UAE has come up with new technologies as a part of its strategy to increase its agricultural production.

METHODS ADOPTED BY UAE TO INCREASE SOIL FERTILITY AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

 The Chinese Chongqing  Earthskin Eco-technology that UAE is working on can withstand its fierce climate, water scarcity and soil salinity, and produce local crops with least amount of water. It is used to implement desert soilisation method in different parts of UAE.

UAE signed an agreement with Uganda to establish an agricultural free zone for  the country.

Vertical farming is viewed as the new frontier of agriculture, as it makes the best use of land and water for high-value crop production. It is based on the use of hydroponics, in which plants are grown using nutrient media instead of soil. By providing constant and readily available nutrition, hydroponics allows plants to grow up to 50% faster than they do in soil.

 This technique was first used in the UAE almost half a century ago and now well established locally through a number of commercial farms.

Hydroponic crops. Theoretically, hydroponics can be used to grow any crop. However, the technique is mostly used with plants that grow efficiently underhydroponic conditions, such as salad greens, cucumbers, peppers and herbs. Most commonly it is used to grow tomatoes.

When Compared To Traditional Soil-Grown Crop Production, Hydroponics Has the Following Advantages: Up to 90% more efficient use of water. Production increases 3 to 10 times in the same amount of space. Many crops can be produced twice asfast in a well managed hydroponic system.

Last March, the first vertical indoor farm in the GCC region - Badia Farm - was launched. The farm now produces nutritious and pesticide-free leafy greens without the need for sunlight, soil or chemicals. It provides an extensive range of micro-greens including arugula, kale, radish, red cabbage, basils, and mustard to several restaurants and hotels in the UAE.

Such type of farming allows the re-use of water up to 9-10 times, using 90 per cent less water than open field farming.The farm is operated by LEDs to replace the sunlight in a closed environment.

UAE despite all hurdles has embarked upon its mission to make its soil agricultural fit and reduce the gap between the farm and the kitchen.

Credits- Khaleej Times, National

Image REUTERS