Desert agriculture will be a driver of the UAE’s post-pandemic strategy – The National

Desert agriculture will be a driver of the UAE’s post-pandemic strategy – The National

Desert agriculture will be a driver of the UAE's post-pandemic strategy. The pandemic has forced some nations to limit exports as they deal with shortages and economic problems at home.. The knowledge and technology required to develop agriculture through scientific innovation is becoming widely available, and co-operation in this area has led to some extraordinary successes.. The project is currently pending approval and, according to the team managing it, should eventually allow Sharjah to grow 763 kilograms of rice in a 1,000 square metre plot of desert.. This is only the latest in a series of forward-looking projects aimed at promoting local agriculture in the UAE.. In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, Gulf countries are investing in domestic agriculture to ensure food security. The Sharjah project is all the more valuable to the long-term food security of the Emirates considering that many rice-growing nations, such as China and India, have limited their exports.. Although shortages have been avoided so far, for a desert nation like the UAE, which imports over 90 per cent of its food, these developments signal that it is time to boost self-reliance while maintaining strong global ties.. What better way is there to honour those