The United Arab Emirates has launched a National Initiative for the Adoption of Climate-Smart Crops, aimed at building drought- and salinity-tolerant food and feed production at scale, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on April 26.

The initiative was unveiled at the close of the second edition of the UAE Agricultural Conference and Exhibition in Al Ain, and is being led by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in partnership with the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA). It also comes as the Emirates have come under food security strain from the US war on Iran and the blocking of imports via the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks, which continues to this day. 

The programme targets diversification of the national food basket, reduced dependence on imports and stronger self-sufficiency in food and animal feed production, in line with the UAE National Food Security Strategy 2051.

Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said the launch represented a structural shift in national agricultural production philosophy.

"We are establishing a new phase of food sovereignty built on knowledge and innovation, and through this initiative we seek to adopt climate-smart solutions designed specifically to suit the environmental specificity of the UAE," she said, according to WAM.

"Our investment in agricultural innovation is an investment in the sustainability of the nation, and by enabling these crops in our Emirati soil, we are establishing a global model in how to harness technology and scientific research to serve our food objectives amid harsh climate changes," she added.

Tarifa Al Zaabi, director general of ICBA, said the initiative translated more than 25 years of research into field-ready solutions for crops able to tolerate salinity, high temperatures and water scarcity.

The initiative centres on four strategic crops: foxtail millet, white millet, sorghum and blue panicum grass. The cereals consume up to 50% less water than conventional grains while maintaining yields at temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius, and are naturally gluten-free with high fibre and mineral content. Blue panicum grass is targeted at the livestock sector, with high salinity tolerance allowing cultivation on salt-affected land using non-conventional water sources.

Implementation will run in two phases. The first will see 45 field trials launched on UAE farms, each covering 1,000 square metres, alongside the training of 45 Emirati farmers and the qualification of 50 agricultural extension officers under a train-the-trainers programme. The second phase will focus on commercial scale-up and partnerships with the private sector to expand distribution to local and international markets.

The initiative also introduced an applied food product concept, branded Resilience, designed to translate research outputs into consumer-facing products including a planned Emirati recipe book based on the four crops.

Sectors expected to engage with the programme include retail, food manufacturing, finance, agricultural services and hospitality, the agency reported.