Silal’s Innovation Oasis And Square Roots Join Forces To Enhance Climate-Smart Desert Agriculture

Silal’s Innovation Oasis (iO) in Al Ain has partnered with Square Roots, a global agritech firm, to enhance climate-smart agriculture and desert farming solutions. This collaboration aims to boost the UAE's food security and water efficiency while fostering an innovative agricultural ecosystem. By merging iO's desert agriculture expertise with Square Roots' controlled-climate farming and AI technologies, the partnership seeks to advance sustainable farming practices.

Square Roots will establish an AI-powered research facility at iO. This facility will serve as a national testbed for innovations in indoor and desert farming. It will enable trials on desert-adapted crops, low-light genetics, modular indoor systems, and AI technologies tailored for agriculture. The goal is to fast-track the commercialisation of resource-efficient farming solutions across the UAE.

The initiative includes developing low-light crop genetics to support indoor farming with up to 40% less energy consumption. This builds on Square Roots' research backed by the Gates Foundation. The collaboration will also identify strategic crops suited for deserts, expand local produce diversity, and create AI tools to boost productivity and optimise resources.

Square Roots plans to adapt its modular indoor farming platform for smallholder farmers in the UAE. This involves creating scalable systems that can operate on solar power. A research farm based on Square Roots’ technology will be set up at Innovation Oasis to support various programs under this collaboration and other Silal-led initiatives.

Dhafer Rashed Al Qasimi, CEO of Silal Group, stated, "This collaboration marks a strategic expansion of Innovation Oasis’s global partnerships, bringing world-class agricultural innovation to Abu Dhabi and advancing the UAE’s leadership in climate-smart and desert farming." He emphasised integrating advanced research and AI-driven tools to strengthen sustainable food production.

Training Future Generations

The partnership will localise Square Roots’ "Next-Gen Farmer Training Program" for Emirati scientists, agronomists, and growers. This program aims to equip them with advanced technical skills. Kimbal Musk, Executive Chairman of Square Roots, noted that combining their expertise with Abu Dhabi’s vision would accelerate solutions in food security and resource efficiency.

Through this agreement, iO is enhancing Abu Dhabi’s status as a hub for advanced agricultural development. The platform created will support testing new technologies in real desert conditions, fostering commercially viable models tailored to the UAE's unique climate.

Innovation Oasis remains committed to turning scientific breakthroughs into practical outcomes. It focuses on enhancing farmer competitiveness, unlocking economic opportunities in the agri-food sector, and reinforcing the UAE's sustainability goals.

With inputs from WAM