UAE launches advanced greenhouse facility
Abu Dhabi, Aug.7 (BNA): ADQ has partnered with Safe Haven Solutions, a Netherlands-based climate-smart agriculture solution provider, to construct a high-tech greenhouse at ADQ’s AgTech Park in KEZAD.
The automated 10-hectare facility will leverage advanced agricultural technology to increase sustainable food production in the UAE, reports UAE News Agency (WAM).
Designed to be sustainability-focused, the greenhouse facility will operate with an efficient cooling system that reduces its carbon and water footprint, enabling the year-round cultivation of tomatoes and cucumbers in a carbon-neutral, climate-controlled environment. In phase two, the project will enter the commercial stage and double the growing area of crops to 20 hectares.
Consumers will benefit from high-quality local produce that remains fresh for longer due to a shorter supply chain. The project's scalability aims to minimise food waste by aligning production with local market demand.
Safe Haven Solutions’ horticulture experts will collaborate with local researchers and agronomists to encourage the development of technology that is ideally adapted to the local climate and growing conditions, utilising training facilities to educate and upskill Emirati talent to nurture the next generation of specialised growers.
With the UAE’s history of high dependency on imports of produce and the country’s annual consumption of fruits and vegetables projected to increase by 18 percent between 2019 and 2026, strengthening agricultural self-sufficiency in this field is high on the public agenda.
ADQ’s collaboration with Safe Haven Solutions represents another project launched within the AgTech Park in KEZAD. Earlier this year, ADQ commenced the operational phase of the Park with the launch of a vertical farming project in partnership with ZERO, a high-impact technology company headquartered in Italy.
