UAE will continue to grow wheat in the desert

The first stage of the experiment was completed successfully The second stage of development of the Mleiha wheat farm has begun in Sharjah (the third largest city in the UAE). This was reported by the Sharjah Agriculture and Livestock Department's Agriculture and Livestock Corporation (SDAL). ESSENCE An experimental project for growing wheat in desert conditions was launched in the UAE in 2022. In the spring of 2023, the first harvest was harvested on an area of 400 hectares. At the next stage in the 2023/2024 season. The area under crops will be increased more than 3 times - up to 1500 hectares. Desalinated seawater is used for irrigation. Irrigation rates and wheat growth are regulated using artificial intelligence and thermal imaging systems. It is expected that the crop area on the farm will be 1.9 thousand hectares. Production is estimated at 1.6 thousand tons per year. Mleiha Farm is also testing 35 wheat varieties to identify those best suited to desert cultivation. CONTEXT Last year, the UAE imported 1.7 million tons of wheat. The emirate of Sharjah accounted for 330 thousand tons. According to a study by the American company ARK Invest, artificial intelligence, precision agriculture, the creation of fully autonomous systems for sowing and personalized plant processing can reduce annual operating costs in agriculture by more than 22% globally. According to analysts, 75-80% of farms will switch to modern technologies in the coming years. In Russia, the introduction of artificial intelligence will become one of the conditions for receiving subsidies in agriculture from 2024. CONCLUSION The Emirate of Sharjah is seeking to improve food security amid geopolitical instability and disruption to global supply chains. The first, albeit small, wheat harvest in the UAE has eased fears that this crop cannot be grown in the desert. According to ARK Invest, the introduction of modern technologies will have a strong impact on global agriculture in the next 5-10 years. Overall production costs will be reduced. Farmers' profitability will increase. Food prices will decrease, and the growing demand for agricultural products will be satisfied.