The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) continues its tireless efforts to achieve sustainability in the agricultural sector, covering both plant and livestock farming. It is implementing a range of pioneering programmes and projects, adopting best agricultural practices to ensure sustainability, promoting modern agriculture technology and improving product quality to achieve global leadership in food security.
In a report issued on Tuesday, ADAFSA highlighted its efforts during the "Year of Sustainability" by adopting cutting-edge agricultural technologies and fostering partnerships with the private sector.
The Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award, initiated by ADAFSA, is a significant step toward promoting sustainability. The award recognises the efforts of farmers, livestock breeders, family producers, and commercial farms, encouraging them to adopt best practices, innovate, and improve the quality of agricultural production in both plant and animal sectors, thus supporting sustainable development.
The authority highlighted that food security is a top priority in its strategy to enhance Abu Dhabi’s capabilities to build a sustainable food system capable of addressing future challenges
ADAFSA has launched several projects to optimise water resource use, focusing on preserving natural resources for future generations. It also raised awareness among farmers about the best agricultural practices for improving irrigation network efficiency, which has reduced water consumption in the agricultural sector to 1.89 billion cubic metres, down from 2 billion cubic metres in 2019.
ADAFSA’s communal irrigation services currently provide irrigation water to more than 6,500 farms across the emirate, using collective irrigation networks and stations. It has also introduced non-conventional water sources, such as recycled and desalinated water, to help preserve the emirate’s non-renewable groundwater reserves and boost agricultural sustainability and local GDP.
ADAFSA continues to implement strategic programmes aimed at agricultural development, such as the Modern Agricultural Technologies Programme. This programme includes several projects, such as the Advanced Agriculture Project and post-harvest operations, which contribute directly to agricultural sustainability. It also includes the transition towards climate-smart agricultural practices, which are key to the sector’s development.
ADAFSA has launched the Abu Dhabi Good Agricultural Practices (AD GAP) programme to ensure the implementation of best agricultural practices in the emirate’s farms. As of 2024, a total of 1,530 farms have received AD GAP certification. ADAFSA continues to monitor the progress of agricultural sustainability by measuring the Agricultural Sustainability Index annually, following the methodology approved by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.
ADAFSA’s Food Loss and Waste Reduction Strategy, launched in 2023, marks a significant step towards supporting sustainability and aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of responsible production and consumption. The strategy includes many initiatives and programmes, foremost of which is the awareness campaign under the theme "Together Blessings Last".
Additionally, ADAFSA offers training courses and guidance programmes aimed at educating farm owners and workers on the importance of water conservation and best agricultural practices that help preserve natural resources. In 2023, ADAFSA provided 736 training courses and guidance programmes to 18,515 participants.
In beekeeping and honey production, ADAFSA developed the ninth generation of the Emirati honey bee breed. The spring 2024 breeding season produced 4,175 queens, of which 2,678 virgin queens were distributed to 64 beekeepers and 152 fertilised queens were provided to 18 beekeepers, with a total of 2,840 queens distributed.
The breeding and distribution of queens to bee breeders began in the autumn, starting from the first week of October 2024. Since the first generation, a total of 17,392 queens have been raised, with 13,543 distributed across all emirates.
ADAFSA also collaborated with the UAE University on a scientific project to identify the key pests and diseases affecting honey bee colonies and develop an integrated control programme suited to local conditions to ensure the production of high-quality, residue-free honey.
In the animal wealth sector, ADAFSA provides a wide range of veterinary, curative, preventive, and advisory services in line with global best practices. The authority supports livestock breeders in Abu Dhabi by offering technical advice on animal care, feed, and nutrition. ADAFSA is also working to increase investment in the sector.
ADAFSA’s smart extension system has improved service delivery to livestock breeders by automating technical reports and field visits and ensuring accurate and up-to-date information is available to specialists. The authority also provides training courses and workshops on modern animal breeding techniques.
The authority also conducts research into animal health and productivity in coordination with relevant institutions, universities, and global research centres. Research findings are published in peer-reviewed international scientific journals.
ADAFSA maintains a precise livestock statistical database, which includes information on livestock numbers, distribution of breeders, and animal holdings. This helps decision-makers plan effectively and formulate policies to enhance the animal wealth sector, improving the efficiency of government support programmes.
ADAFSA also conducts annual immunisation campaigns across the emirate to boost herd immunity and protect against transboundary epidemic diseases.
Additionally, ADAFSA ensures biosecurity sustainability by continuously monitoring the occurrence and spread of zoonotic and epidemic diseases affecting animals and humans. The authority develops preparedness and response plans to combat and control such diseases.
Furthermore, ADAFSA places great importance on building veterinary expertise by offering annual training for veterinary students from UAE University and veterinary science students from the Higher Colleges of Technology.
Regarding food safety, ADAFSA has enhanced inspection and control procedures to ensure food safety standards are met. The authority has launched self-monitoring, smart inspection systems, and the "Jahaziya" platform for risk and crisis management and early warning.