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The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, the leading business event for future energy and sustainability, starts today [January 16] and will continue until January 17 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
Agriculture enterprises and Middle Eastern government agencies are both showing significant interest in sustainable farming practises. Stakeholders in the agriculture industry will need to take severe efforts to deal with potential risks that may impede the expansion of the industry as water scarcity and climate change worsen in the region. To combat the growing water crisis, Middle Eastern governments and politicians must also initiate a seismic shift away from the conventional methods of running agricultural enterprises and toward the use of cutting-edge technical resources.
There is a massive discrepancy between agricultural output and global food demand; this is a cold, hard fact. With a predicted 10 billion people in the world by 2050, annual cereal output will need to increase from its current level of 2.1 billion tonnes to meet the rising demand. Despite only accounting for 13% of GDP in the Middle East, agriculture plays a vital role in the region's economy by supporting vital economic sectors, providing the foundation for many economies, and fostering resilient food systems. Of the region's total population of 296 million, 84 million (or 28%) rely solely on agriculture for their livelihood.
Because of its hot, arid climate, some countries Middle Eastern countries have to import as much as 90 percent of their food, sparking discussions on the need for food waste strategies to conserve the region's limited natural resources.
Given the environmental conditions (Arable land is scarce, harsh weather, and access to water is difficult), the Middle East imports 50% of its food, leading to a dramatic increase in the recent popularity of vertical farming.
Population growth in the Middle East and North Africa is approximately twice that of East Asia and four times that of Western nations, despite the region already being home to more than 450 million people. An ever-increasing human population in dry conditions poses serious problems for agriculture and society as a whole. Indeed, this is the case, as any local may attest. The scarcity of freshwater in our region is a major contributor to population movement, as well as to the spread of poverty and famine. Additionally, by 2050, it is predicted that we would have lost up to 14% of our combined GDP owing to water scarcity. We're feeling the effects of climate change as well; the Middle East is warming at a rate twice the world average. As you can expect, agriculture is profoundly impacted by all this. And the fact remains that there is not enough food being produced in the Middle East right now. Around 35% of the local workforce is involved in agriculture, and this sector accounts for 13% of our total economic output. Still, about half of the food consumed in the Middle East is imported; in some countries, this number is even more than 90%.
GFH Financial Group’s ("GFH") sustainable infrastructure platform, Infracorp, has announced an initial co-investment with Equitix in Aurora Infrastructure Oy ("Aurora"), a well-established monopoly electricity distribution network operating in two key geographical areas of Finland and one of the largest industrial electricity distribution networks in the Nordics region, according to media reports.
According to a joint study of patents by the European Patent Office (EPO) and the International Energy Agency (IEA), Hydrogen technology development is shifting toward low-emissions solutions such as electrolysis.
Report says Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC ("DIB"), the largest Islamic bank in the UAE and the second-largest Islamic bank in the world, is pleased to announce the launch of Islamic auto financing with a fully digital application process for Tesla customers in the UAE.
This year's Intersec will be held from January 17th to January 19th.Honeywell will showcase solutions designed to help create safer and more sustainable buildings, cities, and communities at the Dubai World Trade Center.