Examining Water and Food Security Strategies in the UAE Policy

This report examines the critical issues of water and food security in the UAE, highlighting the challenges posed by limited water resources, arable land, and a growing population. The report discusses the UAE's reliance on food imports, the associated issues such as pesticide residue and transportation challenges, and the high levels of food waste. It further explores the strategies implemented by the UAE to secure its water and food supplies, including investments in technology, trade relations, and support for local agriculture. The report also compares the UAE's performance in food security with that of other countries like Singapore and Norway, emphasizing the need for continued innovation and collaboration to address these pressing concerns and ensure sustainable economic growth.

WATER AND FOOD
SECURITY IN UAE
Name of the Student

Introduction
 Water is critical natural resources in food security
as in order to do anything, water is essential.
 In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights asserted the rights to adequate food;
however; there is an unequal distribution of food
supply all over the world due to heavy dependence
(Hameed et al.).
 Food security exists when the population have
social, physical and economic access to safe,
adequate and nutritious food in order to meet the
dietary needs for leading a healthy and productive
life (Un.org).
 According to a report, 793 million people in the
world are undernourished in nature.

Research Question:
Are water and food security important to UAE?

Importance of Water and Food
Security in the UAE
 The factors that made food and water security a national
policy in UAE are limited water resources and arable
lands (Mbrsg.ae).
 UAE is considered a secure food country as it imports
the majority of its food supplies from the international
market.
 In the year 2016, UAE, through its Al-Dahra Holding
Company, had built 20 storage tower that covers 45000
square meters in the Port of Fujairah.
 It is considered as a long-term issue in the country due
to a challenging situation in supply and limited
production capacity.

Importance of Water and Food Security in
the UAE (Contd..)
 UAE has made extensive investment in term of food
security that made the availability of food more
accessible.
 In recent statistics, UAE faces a number of challenges
that affect the prospect of food security due to
growing population and change in the climate.
 The rate of food consumption in UAE has increased
by 4% annually and the population will grow from 9
million to 11 million by the end of 2030, affecting the
scenario (Agroberichtenbuitenland.nl).
 Due to a lack of groundwater and high cost in
production, the challenges of water supply is
increasing.

Import of the UAE Supply and
associated issue
 The aspect of water and food security has become a
public health concern in the UAE because of the
limited supply of imported food and water resources.
 According to Ajaj, Shahin and Salem, the UAE
imports roughly 80-90% of its food and it is 4th
country in term of food affordability.
 However, 80% of the imports are banned in term of
regional import due to the presence of high level of
pesticide residue in the products.
 The issues of importation in the country because of
transportation issues and increase in tax that
ultimately affect the supply of food.

Import of the UAE Supply and associated
issue (Contd..)
 Although 80% of its food is imported, the level
of food waste is extremely high that increase the
price of food.
 As per the current scenario, the value of food
imports is expected to increase from US$ 3
billion in 2011 to US$ 8.4 billion in 2020 (Fiaz,
Noor & Aldosri).
 The import of food products is highly variable
and is dependent on the inconsistent revenue of
fossil fuel (Taha et al.).
 Thus, importation is a vital issue in the food
supply of the UAE.

Challenges faced by the UAE concerning
water and food security
 The issue of food security in the UAE is more severe
than other food secured countries
 This is because of the limitation of fertile lands and
the climatic factors, which is more prevalent in
summers.
 These pose a high threat in term of domestic
production level of the food as well as storage.
 Another factor that affects the food security concern is
the fluctuation of oil and fuel price that made the
country more vulnerable in term of food scarcity.
 As per the opinion of report, only ten crops can be
grown in the land of UAE, which is hugely
insufficient in meeting the demands of the population
(Mbrsg.ae).

Challenges faced by the UAE concerning
water and food security (Contd..)
 Water supply is found to be inadequate due to low rainfall and water in the
various area have a high salinity level. This, in turn, affects the production
level of crops such as rice and wheat that require a large amount of water
(Alfarra).

Long and Short-term Strategies
 In short and medium-term, the aspects of security can be safeguarded through
recycling of water and treatment of wastewater.
 On a long-term basis, the issue can be addressed by limiting the use of reused
water, increasing the cost of production of drinking water and limiting the
treatment opportunities.

UAE’s stance to secure water and food
supplies
 UAE is using a wide range of approaches to ensure sufficient water supply and food supply.
 It has boosted its suppleness in food supply by establishing trade relation with other countries and investing in
technological advancement.
 It has focused on supporting the usage of non-staple vegetables.
 The agricultural and dairy sectors are supported to increase food supply (Hassen & El Bilali).

UAE’s stance to secure water and food
supplies (Contd..)
 Mushroom is grown in a closed system that produces 5000 kg each day to meet the
demand of protein (Alders et al.).
 Date palm production is focused on using the framework of the UAE National Future
Food Security Strategy (Agroberichtenbuitenland.nl)
 The government has invested heavily in water management and extraction of
groundwater
 The Agricultural Innovation Centre supports the national innovation strategy.
 Investment of resilient crop like quinoa is done (Al Qaydi).
 Water Security Strategy 2036 was proposed by the UAE to ensure access to water
(Government.ae.).