Simon Penney
Simon Penney, Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for the Middle East, examines how the UK is supporting the Gulf’s drive towards self-sufficient farming.
In a region that imports most of its food, Gulf leaders are poised to ramp up domestic production amid the global pandemic. The insecurity of global supply chains was thrown into sharp relief at the start of the GCC dispute and again this year as coronavirus bottlenecked international food manufacturing.
Historically, the Gulf has imported around 90 percent of its food, but in today’s uncertain geopolitical climate, this is an increasingly risky strategy. Constrained by arid soils, scarce water resources, and hot temperatures, the region is seeking new ways to rapidly and significantly bolster its domestic food production capabilities.
The GCC states are turning to the dynamic agritech sector for solutions – a burgeoning industry that is projected to be worth more than £136 billion globally by 2025, according to Agri-Epi Centre.
Broadly speaking, ‘agritech’ is a term that describes optimising the productivity and sustainability of agriculture, horticulture, aqua culture and forestry – this growing sector could be key to supercharging the region’s domestic farming capabilities amid the pandemic and beyond.
Agritech is transforming the Middle East
In recent months, all Gulf countries have ramped up their agritech initiatives, using innovative solutions to optimise limited natural farming resources.
In Qatar, the agricultural sector is a strategic sector, led and financed by the government, with a well-defined and publicly available food security strategy. Qatar is gearing up to host the World Horticulture Expo 2021 next year and the country recently launched a raft of agritech projects to sustainably increase yield in agriculture and in its fisheries.
The agriculture sector has developed significantly in Qatar over the past three years: Production of vegetables has increased by 30% and the nation has achieved 100% self-sufficiency in dairy and fresh poultry products. In fact, the World Food Security index places Qatar at #13, top amongst GCC countries.
Further north, the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS) is seeking proposals on farm-to-table digital solutions, to enable Kuwaiti farmers to sell goods directly to consumers, along with solutions to upscale production in agriculture and fisheries. In tandem, Pure Harvest Smart Farms is expanding its controlled-environment agriculture concept across the GCC with a $35 million deal to build a dedicated high-tech farm in Kuwait.
In Oman, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is looking for proposals for a smart agriculture project to produce vegetables in an efficient way in the Sultanate’s harsh climate.
How UK R&D is driving a sustainable approach to agritech
And this is where the UK’s farming credentials stand tall. The country is renowned for its world-leading agritech R&D, combined with academic and commercial strengths across robotics, big data, precision engineering, remote sensing, smart water management, and plant and animal breeding.
Several British agritech suppliers and institutions are already active in the Middle East. UK-based Fera Science, home to 350 scientists, is working with government strategists in Qatar and Kuwait to support regional agritech research and testing goals. The York-headquartered firm is engaged in delivering region-wide plant crop and pathogen monitoring expertise, as well as crop plant protection, aquaculture knowledge and food chain science.
The University of Sheffield is working with the Sohar University in Oman to develop a greenhouse that uses cutting-edge technologies to help crops grow in the harsh environment of the Sultanate.
The 150m2 renewable energy- powered greenhouse enables horticultural production amid arid climes, by utilising a unique foam growth system and a solar evaporation-based desalination system.
Meanwhile, UK-based Jones Food Company (JFC), which operates the largest vertical farm in Europe with over 5,000m2 of growing space, is poised to ink a number of long-term partnerships across the region. JFC’s unique hydroponics systems use renewable energy and 95 percent less water than traditional farms.
As regional governments continue to place a laser-sharp focus on food security, the potential for global agritech partnerships is vast.
The future of regional agriculture is set to be smart, connected and sustainable – and it will likely be driven by a fusion of optimism, technology investment and genuine partnership between the UK and the Middle East.
