Abu Dhabi is Investing $100 Million in Sustainable Plant-based Farming

Drastic times call for drastic measures, this certainly proves true for Abu Dhabi, the capital and second-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, who is investing $100 million in indoor farming as a part of a $272 million program supporting the development of agtech projects in the country. The Abu Dhabi Investment Office, a central government business cell, has approved $100 million worth investment in four agtech companies: Madar Farms, Aerofarms, Florida’s Responsive Drip Irrigation and Abu Dhabi-based startup RNZ.

This is the future of farming, a truly sustainable way to reduce water and land usage, and mitigate the continuous exploitation of animals in tradition farming. The sustainable choices in all areas of life are always the compassionate ones. Modern farms grow food in a cruelty-free manner that can significantly reduce the carbon footprint. Nearly 83% of the carbon emissions in food chain can be attributed to farming and food production.

It is a well known fact that the country faces scarcity of arable land, warm climate, and extreme water scarcity. Traditional farming consumes far too much of the scarce water resources. The government fears that at this rate, they might run out of water within the next 50 years. The government wishes to experiment on vertical farming to transform food production in the United Arab Emirates, where 80% of food is imported. “Agtech will be part of the solution to how we can better utilize water, how we can be more efficient, and how we can drive yield in farms, we’re embracing technology because we know it’s the future.” said the director-general of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office. 

The program will feature an R&D center operated by Aerofarms. Meanwhile, Mandar Farms will be developing the infrastructure for the farms. The Florida’s Responsive Drip Irrigation will be developing a new irrigation system that will help recycle 95% of water used in the system. Lastly, homegrown startup RNZ will be creating fertilizers to optimize the resources required in farming.
“We want to grow more plants, know how to grow better, know how to grow with lower capital cost and operating costs, that all stems from an ability to understand plants” said David Rosenberg, the CEO of Aerofarms. The focus of the program is to increase the yield per square foot of land and at the same time, reduce the water consumption per square foot of land. The project will be fully operation from the upcoming year 2021, and this will be another step of humanity towards a sustainable future!

Feature Image Courtesy: inhabitat.com

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