Sheikh Theyab Explores Future Of Farming At Sustainable Agriculture Lecture
H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes' Affairs, attended the latest Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed lecture titled ‘Sustainable Agriculture at Scale’. The event took place at the Majlis venue in Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
The lecture was delivered by Sebastien Boyer, Co-founder and Chairman of the agritech firm, FarmWise. Boyer discussed the challenges faced by farmers today and emphasised the importance of technological innovation in evolving the agricultural sector to meet the needs of a growing global population.
Boyer's company builds precise farming machinery that leverages AI and robotics to increase productivity and profitability. He highlighted that agriculture relies on four key resources: land, water, labour, and industrially produced fertilisers. He also mentioned startups using advanced technology to reduce reliance on these resources, such as self-driving electric tractors and lab-grown chicken meat.
Boyer noted that many of these new technologies are still prohibitively expensive or require further development to become cost-effective. This often makes farmers reluctant to switch from traditional methods. He suggested that society should promote technology demand by encouraging sustainability demand.
UAE's Commitment to Agritech
The UAE continues to prioritise efforts to transform its agricultural sector to boost food security while ensuring a sustainable future. The country is now home to a growing number of agritech companies using innovative technology to produce locally grown food.
Moderation and Contributions
The lecture was moderated by Laila Abdullatif, Director-General, Emirates Nature-WWF. It featured pre-recorded contributions from Khaled Al Blooshi, Plant Development Lead Engineer at Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority; Maitha Al Hameli, Section Head of Marine Assessment and Conservation at Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi; and Sky Kurtz, Co-founder and CEO of Pure Harvest Smart Farms.
Broadcast Information
‘Sustainable Agriculture at Scale’ will be broadcast on Saturday, 18th May at 17:00 GST on local TV networks. It will also be available for viewing afterwards on the Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed YouTube channel.
With inputs from WAM
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