ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 23rd Dec, 2019) Choosing UAE-grown produce can help support sustainability and contribute towards solving food and water security, Madar Farms’ Head of Operations, Kyle Wagner, said during an event in Abu Dhabi.
During a panel discussion at New York University Abu Dhabi, NYUAD, with Mariam Hareb Almheiri, Minister of State for Food Security, he urged the public to take a step in the "right direction" and choose vegetables and other produce grown locally in the UAE.
A UAE-based company, Madar Farms has been leading a new agriculture revolution by using advanced methods to grow local high-quality fresh produce with cutting-edge farming techniques on its hydroponic-vertical systems.
Madar Farms works with the wider industry and education authorities to support the UAE government’s National Food Security Strategy 2051 that aims to solve the region’s food problems and provide enough nutritious food all-year round.
Speaking at the "cooking the Nation: Global perspectives and local insights on culinary nationalism and diplomacy", Wagner said, "At Madar Farms, education is already a big part of what we’re doing. Whether that is attending conferences or launching a school sustainability programme, creating awareness of what we do and helping people understand what we want to achieve is important for us."
"We are living in a diverse country where the supermarkets are full of different ingredients and products from many different countries. Sometimes, we do not look at which country vegetables come from but if we can help adults to think carefully and choose a UAE-grown produce instead of one from another country, then we are going in the right direction.
"At schools, we launched a sustainability program ‘Sustainable Futures’ where students are getting hands-on learning experiences. This has been a great success so far as it gives them an opportunity to learn more about pressing environmental topics. And by engaging with the younger generation, we can create that change that can have a long-term effect."
Madar Farms is one of the few local and sustainable growers in the GCC region with its technologies using approximately 95 percent less water than traditional farming.
The company is working with the government to help the UAE be among the top 10 countries in the Global Food Security Index by 2021. Currently, the UAE shares the 21st position with Japan on the 2019 global food security index rankings.
Wagner added, "Agriculture technology in the UAE is just getting started and we understand that food security is a high priority for the UAE government. As an Emirati company, we are committed to working alongside the government to help achieve the best possible results."
"The transformation of agriculture technology is exciting and there is enormous potential for us to make a positive change that can benefit not just the consumers with the production of nutritious and predictable food but also the whole ecosystem of the UAE," he concluded.
