Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award Advances UAE Agricultural Innovation

The Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award is being presented as a key driver of modern farming in the UAE, with its role in pushing innovation, strengthening local production, and supporting food security highlighted during a recent panel session at the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi.

Speaking at the event, Hamed Al Hamed, Chairman of the Emirates Agricultural Pioneers Association and Founder of Gracia Group, detailed how participation in the Award encourages farmers to upgrade their projects, improve standards, and explore advanced methods, noting that his own experience as an Award recipient helped shape Gracia Group’s continued contributions to national development.

The panel on agricultural innovation took place at the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award Pavilion within the festival grounds, and was moderated by Sheikha Al Abdooli from the Communication and Community Engagement Department at the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, who guided a discussion on the Award’s impact, the state of UAE agriculture, and future opportunities.

The session attracted Mubarak Al Qusaili Al Mansouri, Chairman of the Festivals and Accompanying Competitions Committee of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award, along with officials, leading farmers, entrepreneurs, and sector stakeholders, who examined how the Award supports modern agricultural practices, encourages innovation, and contributes to long-term food security strategies.

Al Hamed explained that farming in the UAE has shifted away from the traditional view of "land, seed, and water" and is now seen as an integrated economic system based on science, strategic planning, advanced technology, and building strong brands, with Gracia Group developed as a national example of this approach.

Gracia Group, Al Hamed said, operates as a fully integrated agricultural ecosystem that brings together more than 30 distinct sectors under modern farming practices, and this structure allows the organisation to link production, processing, marketing, and services in a connected model that aims to support resilience and added value.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award and technological innovation

During the discussion, Al Hamed described how Gracia Group uses smart farming systems and artificial intelligence to manage water use, refine nutrient delivery, improve product quality, and enable data-based decisions rooted in field experience, with these tools helping to increase efficiency and support long-term environmental and economic sustainability.

Al Hamed stressed that "agricultural technology is a means rather than an end, and must be utilised optimally to enhance the quality of local production," adding that modern techniques open extensive investment prospects when applied correctly and aligned with practical knowledge from farmers on the ground.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award, support, and collaboration

According to Al Hamed, the challenges facing agriculture in the UAE are fewer than in many green countries because of support from the leadership, strong infrastructure, sustained government backing, and clear policies that encourage agricultural innovation and investment, enabling farmers to launch projects that once appeared difficult to achieve in local conditions.

Al Hamed pointed out that Gracia Group has received several major and subsidiary awards inside and outside the UAE and remains active in a variety of forums, while also calling for a stronger culture of collaboration among farmers, stating that cooperation and knowledge sharing can speed up sector growth and produce better outcomes for all participants.

Local agriculture, Al Hamed added, now forms a central element of food security in the UAE, and the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award continues to support this role by backing farmers, improving practices, and offering tools for excellence, with Al Hamed urging farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs to join the Award and confirming that the Emirates Agricultural Pioneers Association and Gracia Group are ready to provide guidance to those taking part.

With inputs from WAM