Revolutionizing Agriculture: Explore Vertical Farming in the Middle East

Unlock the potential of vertical farming in the Middle East, revolutionizing urban farming with advanced technologies and eco-friendly practices, resulting in year- round crop production and reduced environmental impact.

Despite how novel it may appear, vertical farming has been practised for quite a couple of years. As everyone is aware of the history, we won't go into it more in this blog. We are aware that many of you are curious about the developing vertical farming in the Middle East and the policymakers’ initiatives, if that is so, you have arrived at the perfect location. By the end of this blog, you should be able to get an idea of recent developments in the Middle East in terms of vertical farming.

According to a 2021 research by Dubai-based Alpen Capital, the Middle East imports 85%–90% of all the food it consumes. This shows how desperately the region needed a farming method other than conventional farming to tackle the population pressure.

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Vertical farming in Dubai is gaining a lot of traction - and why wouldn't it? The presence of Bustanica - which went fully functional last year, gave it a completely new breakthrough.

This single farm can produce 1,000 tonnes of leafy greens each year. The investment in it goes is also huge - to let you know this particular hydroponic farm is backed by $40 million and the policymakers last year promised to continue making rigorous and aggressive investments as the year progresses. Bustanica has given vertical farming in the UAE a new face and phase. Located near Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central - this farm is spread over 330,000 ft2 and is a centre of modern farming innovation and excellence.

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This is what 2022 saw and this year was no exception. After Dubai, Abu Dhabi became the home of the world's largest vertical farm, AeroFarms AgX, which spreads at 65,000 square feet. With the official support of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, this vertical farm is the world's largest indoor vertical farm, rare and distinctive in its approach for research and development, paving a unique path in transformative innovations.

It will not only grow fresh fruits and vegetables, but it will also solve some of the world's most pressing agricultural challenges with the help of highly skilled engineers, horticulturists and scientists who will be involved and employed in it on a continuous basis. According to reports, the UAE intends to be "the world's best in the Global Food Security Index by 2051 and among the top 10 countries in the world."

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Let us see what some interesting developments exist for the Middle East's Vertical Farming Industry! Let's begin

• The Saudi government is taking a lot of interest in vertical farms being the best alternative. Aerofarm is to open its next biggest farm in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia which is anticipated to start next year in 2024. The collaboration is between the Saudi government-owned Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Aerofarm.
• In 2021, the Kingdom's Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture allocated $26.5 million (SAR 100 million) planned to develop and localise vertical farming technologies and relatable R&D institutes.
• A partnership agreement with Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZA) and Doha Venture Capital is also in the news and it is very much likely that their new vertical farm in Qatar will open in the forthcoming year.
• Abu Dhabi Investment Office invested $100 mn in agritech companies aligned with the R&D goals.
• There have been 35,000 farms so far reported from the UAE, that use new-age tech and purpose-built environments like greenhouses and vertical farms.
• The Food Tech Valley Project in Dubai is Promoting sustainable Vertical Farming Integration in the Region.
• For Dubai, the food industry is one of the priority sectors of the Dubai Industrial Strategy 2030.

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Let us see recent government projects that is happening in the Middle East’s various regions

The Middle East’s rapidly increasing population paves the way for the hour of getting the right connection for securing the food security of the growing continent. For this cause, the government in the Middle East is striving hard and is focusing on securing food supplies for the growing population.

Countries like UAE, Saudi, Qatar, etc depend on imports for more than four-fifths of their food supply - thus vertical farming gives unprecedented benefits, offering the prospect of growing more produce locally and making better use of the region’s limited resources.

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Let’s look at the developments Middle East countries have made

Saudi - Saudi Arabia with its limited arable land and scarce water resources has taken a keen interest in vertical farming. In 2018, the government announced a $10 million investment in a vertical farming project in the city of Jazan, in the southwest of the country. To let you know, Arabs are building their largest vertical farm in Riyadh to be fully operational by 2023 named JV - providing jobs to people and making sustainable produce available to the local community. The Saudi kingdom already has some vertical farms in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. Mowreq (a vertical farming company in Saudi Arabia) also has a vertical farm fully operational and intends to improvise its approach as time proceeds.

Qatar- Like many other countries in the middle east, Qatar has limited arable land and relies heavily on food imports. To address this issue, the Qatar government has launched a number of initiatives to promote local food production, including vertical farming as the priority objective, soon after realising its importance. In 2017, the government announced plans to build the country's first commercial vertical farm which is expected to produce up to 1,000 tons of fresh produce annually and is doing the same as anticipated. To build a vertical farm in Qatar, AeroFarms signed a partnership agreement with Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZA) and Doha Venture Capital. The Qatar Investment Authority has agreed to back Dutch indoor startup farms with $200 million and promised to establish its first centre in Doha in 2023.

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UAE - United Arab Emirates has made significant investments in vertical farming, with the aim of reducing its reliance on imported food and improving food security. Bustanica, the world’s largest vertical hydroponic farm opened by UAE, is capable of producing over 1000 tonnes of greens. The country has over 35,000 reported fully operational farms, that use new-age technologies and are environment friendly, which contributed towards the pledge to secure food initiatives including diversification of food sources. According to the UAE government website, Emirates aims to make itself the world’s best in the Global Food Security Index by 2051, thus during the first quarter of 2020 food imports to the UAE reached more than 3.5 million tonnes at a value of over AED 13 billion. According to Alpen Capital’s 2019 GCC Food Report, 85 percent of all food consumed across the entire Gulf region is imported. The reasons for this include the limited arable land, climate and water scarcity.

The UAE government has established a number of other initiatives to support vertical farming - according to reports the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) have launched a $100 million agtech fund to support the development of vertical farming and other innovative agricultural technologies. The fund provides capital to startups and established companies working in the agtech sector, with a focus on projects that can help to improve food security and sustainability. The opening of the world’s largest vertical farm in Dubai reflects the high priority that strategies place on long-term food security and the government’s commitment to making continuous investments to ensure sustainable growth.

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These are just some points and countries specific projects we highlighted. If you see the Middle East as a region, the market for vertical farming is booming and exploding with opportunities. If you intend to take your vertical farming business to new heights, expand in the region and make effective connections with relevant industry leaders, then the 4th Global Vertical Farming Show Dubai is a place for you. GVF 2023 is the Middle East's largest and only exclusive show bringing the entire vertical farming industry's value chain under one roof for two consecutive days.

To register for the show: https://verticalfarmingshow.com/registration.html