The GCC faces significant challenges with food availability and supply chain resilience, importing 85% of its food, including staples like rice, cereals, vegetables, and meat, putting it at risk of supply chain disruptions and other vulnerabilities. Given these challenges, the region is proactively investing in sustainable agricultural technologies.
When looking specifically at the UAE, the country faces several hurdles in its quest for food security. Sandy soil and intense heat create obstacles to food cultivation and storage – leading to only 0.71% of its land suitable for agriculture. The country’s water supply relies on groundwater and desalinated sources, which pose significant cost concerns. Due to this, water-intensive crops like wheat and rice are not grown commercially in the UAE, further increasing reliance on imports.
Moreover, inefficiencies in food handling throughout the supply chain also result in food waste during production. However, consistent support from the government, innovations from startups, and consistent efforts from the private sector can help overcome these challenges to create more sustainable food systems in the UAE.
Recognising the critical food security challenges, the country has been at the forefront of innovating solutions to combat any imminent threats. In 2017, the UAE established a State Ministry for Food Security for the first time. Led by Her Excellency Mariam Almheiri, the first-ever Minister of State for Food Security in the UAE, the mandate for food security is defined as “enabling all citizens and residents of the UAE to have access to healthy, safe, nutritious and sufficient food, at reasonable prices in all circumstances, including emergencies and crisis.”
With the launch of the UAE National Food Security Strategy, which aims to significantly improve the country’s rank on the Global Food Security Index by 2051, the UAE has already set ambitious targets and set a clear roadmap for all stakeholders. Beyond strategic initiatives and policies, the Ministry actively encourages solutions from the private sector – particularly startups and entrepreneurs who can bring forth disruptive ideas that address critical issues. The Food and Agriculture Entrepreneurs Programme, the UAE FoodTech Challenge, along with other initiatives that the UAE Food Security Office launched, are a clear commitment to fostering innovation. In fact, ADIO recently announced that it seeks to attract 34.9 billion of investments in the agrifood sector by 2045. As H.E. Minister Almheiri said, “Getting entrepreneurs excited about this [industry] is very important, and I think it’s our responsibility to devise an ecosystem for them to actually come, invest money, and start.”
In parallel to these government initiatives, the private sector has also been actively engaged in driving progress. Startups are leading the charge by developing ground-breaking solutions to enhance food security and sustainability across the food, agriculture, and supply chain sectors.
For example, startups such as eJaby have created a digital platform that tackles food waste across the UAE with plans to expand into Saudi Arabia. By providing an alternative sales channel for food retailers, eJaby allows suppliers to sell surplus from warehouses directly to consumers at affordable prices – minimising wastage of food by making it available at reasonable rates for consumers. Similarly, Takkul is working to reduce food waste from restaurants and other food retailers, by allowing customers access to fresh unsold items in nearby restaurants at a reduced price.
On the supply chain side, Seafood Souq serves as a digital marketplace connecting seafood buyers and sellers worldwide, enhancing transparency and traceability using technologies such as blockchain and digital logbooks. The software, known as SFS Trace, measures metrics, including freshness and source, through every stage of the supply chain. In other words, SFS Trace measures data “from sea to plate.”
With digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology, the possibilities for innovation seem endless. Climate-controlled greenhouses (as used by Abu Dhabi-based Pure Harvest Farms); hydroponic vertical farming (Uns Farms in Dubai); and other emerging technologies in the AgriTech space are all aimed at ensuring that food is accessible to every individual in the country. Technology is addressing challenges around food storage, too – for example, Revoltech uses proprietary freezing technology to freeze and store food in a way that ensures that it does not lose its nutritional value and, therefore, significantly increases its shelf life.
Complementing this are initiatives and ventures that focus on food insecurity from a social perspective, tackling various challenges such as equitable access to food and reducing food waste. Startups such as FoodATM are providing food catering services to businesses and customers at very affordable prices, especially in low-income communities. Similarly, HeroGo positions itself as an “ugly food delivery service” by enabling the sale of “odd” looking fruits and vegetables in the UAE, 1 million tonnes of which gets wasted every year.
Private sector partnerships are instrumental in creating a thriving ecosystem. For example, DMCC partnered with CropData to launch the Agriota E-Marketplace, a trading and sourcing platform that uses blockchain to help connect rural farmers in India with the UAE’s food industry, to support the UAE’s National Food Security Strategy.
Similarly, at C3 and in partnership with Goumbook and HSBC, we help impact-driven founders unlock growth, through various initiatives focused on sustainable agriculture and net-zero technologies. These collaborations serve as a catalyst for innovation within the food sector, that can further enhance the UAE’s food security and self-sufficiency.
Addressing food security is clearly a priority for the UAE. There are many reasons to be optimistic – the strong support from the government, the enthusiasm among the private sector, the availability of resources such as funding, technological support and startup accelerators – all of which are driving progress. By leveraging the many opportunities created by the government and the innovations presented by the private sector, the country is set to meet the growing demand for food security.
By: Kevin Holliday, Managing Director and Vanisha Sampat, Programme Coordinator at C3 – Companies Creating Change