UAE Farmers Council discusses initiatives to strengthen sustainability of agricultural sector

UAE Farmers Council discusses initiatives to strengthen sustainability of agricultural sector

Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, chaired the ninth meeting of the Farmers' Council, to review the latest developments in the national agricultural sector and to discuss the Ministry’s initiatives to promote its sustainable growth. The meeting also focused on identifying the needs of the farmers to increase domestic productivity and thereby optimise imports. Mariam Almheiri said the UAE leadership places utmost importance on supporting farmers to enhance the sustainability of the agricultural and food sector, ensure national food security and address climate change. She said, “The transformation of the agricultural sector to make it more sustainable was a top priority for the UAE during the recent COP28 held in Dubai. This is underpinned by the 'COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems and Climate Action' being endorsed by 159 countries. These countries have a population of over 6.2 billion people, with 530 million farmers, and account for 77 percent of all the food we eat as well as 83 percent of all emissions from food systems.” Almheiri said that one of the key goals of the UAE in the coming years is to make agricultural systems more sustainable and climate-smart, and that the Ministry will support