Food and Water Security in the United Arab Emirates - Term Paper Example

Food and Water Security in the United Arab Emirates Table of Contents Contents 1 Introduction 3 2 History of Food and Water Security in UAE 4 2.1 Introduction 4 2.2 The Beginning of Food and Water Security Initiative in UAE 4 3 UAE Government’s Vision in Dealing with Food and Water Security Issues 5 3.1 UAE Food and Water Security Strategy 5 3.2 Action Plan on Food Price Volatility and Agriculture 7 4 Recommendation/ Advice in Educating People About Food and Water Security Issues 10 5 References 13 1 Introduction Food security generally refers to availability of food and people’s ability to access it . Similarly, water security is a term used to describe a situation where people have reliable and secure access to water . The food and water resources according to , are already experiencing considerable stress and shortfalls and while the population, economics, and consumption rates grow, the estimated demand for these resources in the next twenty years will be significant. As shown below, statistics from the United Nations suggest that 70% of freshwater goes to irrigation, 20% to industry, and 10% for domestic use . Figure 1 - UN Statistics on Global Water Consumption Similarly, statistics from FAO or Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations from 2010 to 2012 suggest that in terms of dietary energy supply, 870 million people or 12.5 percent of the global population in the developing world are undernourished . The global food system according to is being constantly transformed by a range of global issues such as population growth and changing demographic patterns, and the impact of climate change on agriculture and food production in developing regions like UAE. 2 History of Food and Water Security in UAE 2.1 Introduction Last March 2014, the UAE was awarded by FAO as one of the 17 countries in the developing world that maintained undernourishment prevalence below 5% from 1990 to 2013 . This is because the United Arab Emirates leadership according to recognised the importance of food and water on human health and well-being particularly in a region with little natural freshwater and agricultural capacity. UAE has abundant energy reserves but with limited freshwater resources and agricultural land thus it generally relies on water desalination and import almost 85% of its food requirements. Moreover, expanding food production in UAE is difficult due to lack of water and high cost of water desalination. For instance, the water desalination process is not only expensive but relies on fossil fuels to produce freshwater which is about 20% of UAE’s energy demand . 2.2 The Beginning of Food and Water Security Initiative in UAE Issues regarding food and water security in UAE began in the early 1960s when the region experienced rapid population growth along with the rising import requirements . According to , although UAE attempted to increase cereal production in the 1970s, the amount were largely insignificant in relation to population increase rate. In 1992 to 2002, UAE as shown below is one of the eight Middle East countries with food imports totalling almost 100% of consumption. Figure 2 - Food Aid and Cereal Import in the Middles from 1992 to 2002 However, despite reliance of cereal imports food security according to study is highest in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and UAE mainly because of high income levels allowing these states to purchase their food from the world market. Moreover, the two major factors that could reduce food security in the Middle East are economic instability and population growth thus food security in UAE can change in the near future. 3 UAE Government’s Vision in Dealing with Food and Water Security Issues 3.1 UAE Food and Water Security Strategy The White Paper published UAE G20 in 2011 articulates UAE principles in its food and water security strategy. According to , the UAE government recognised that their situation in terms of food and water resources will get worse in the near future. For instance, estimate shows that availability of water in the region will drop by 50% in the year 2050 thus absolute water scarcity may be experienced as early as 2025. The UAE leadership according to the same White Paper is aware that there can be no food security without water and any disruption in food supply or policy change in other countries can greatly affect UAE’s food security. These realities encourage UAE leadership to become more concern with the region’s interest and use necessary resources to tackle food and water security issues . Some of the strategies include dealing with the four main issues such agricultural production and productivity, transparency of agricultural markets, international policy coordination, and mitigation of risk for the most vulnerable . Increasing agricultural production and productivity according to the White Paper is a long-term challenge for UAE leadership as it involves feeding a rapidly growing population. This strategy will require UAE to increase food production by 70% by the year 2050 thus government need to invest more in agricultural research and development . In increasing the transparency of UAE’s agricultural markets, a new Agricultural Market Information System or AMIS will be established so data about supply, demand, and prices of agricultural commodities will be widely available. Similarly, in improving international policy coordination, a Rapid Response Forum will be create in order to reduce trade distortions and facilitate understanding of challenges and opportunities associated with food prices . Mitigating risk for the most vulnerable according to White Paper involves development of regional system for emergency food reserves, and use of market and non-market instruments to protect the most vulnerable members of UAE society from price shocks. 3.2 Action Plan on Food Price Volatility and Agriculture UAE’s Action Plan on Food Price Volatility and Agriculture was developed in June 2011 which is largely focused on the importance of water in increasing agricultural production . The UAE leadership highlighted the need for examining water-related issues that include promoting best practices in water management, cooperation on technology development, updated information regarding water supply and demand, additional technical assistance, and maximising synergies between international organisations . The UAE government along with various public and private organisations in the region are working together to address food and water security issues. For instance, the UAE government is encouraging farmers to adopt a more modern and effective farming techniques so they can save water for irrigation. Consequently, there is a noticeable increase in farmers producing agricultural products through greenhouses as such technique reduces evaporation in hot temperatures and therefore save water. Moreover, since greenhouses are more conducive to organic farming, UAE farmers production increased with minimal water and energy, and more self-sufficient with solar panels . According to a news article in published in Gulfnews.com, experts from a United Nations agency is assisting UAE in developing greenhouses that only needs 10 % of water to produce the same amount of crop . Another initiative of the UAE government to ensure food and water security through water conservation is the construction of 68 additional specially designed dams. These dams are intended to replenish UAE’s groundwater reserve while collecting freshwater from rain, natural springs, and wadis . Conservation education is also central to UAE government’s initiative such as those currently occurring in Sharjah where SEWA or Sharjah’s Electricity and Water Authority is distributing free water conservation kits to businesses and community members. These kits are actually improved water-related gadgets such as more efficient faucet head, water leakage detectors, garden devices that automatically determines the amount of water needed for irrigation, and others that can help reduce water consumption by almost 40% . Societies according to can have water security if they successfully manage their water resources and services thus they need to know how to save water and protect the environment. This UAE strategy is also prevalent in developed countries. For instance, water conservation education in the United States was implemented because of increasing demand on limited water supplies due to population growth, impact of climate change, need to protect endangered species, and increasing agriculture water needs. Moreover, majority of water conservation education programs are implemented as environmental education in school, festival and specials events focusing on school and family groups . Historically, water conservation education in UAE started way back in mid 1980s when GCC legislations relating to water conservation was implemented including a common water policy for the UAE . In 2007, the UAE was one of the beneficiaries of UNESCO Associated Schools on Water Education, a project to encourage water conservation and awareness activities. The aim is to is to embed water conservation into community members lifestyles, change their behaviour regarding water consumption positively, and develop more materials and strategy for water management and protection . In Dubai, DEWA or Dubai Electricity and Water Authority launched several campaigns to educate citizens about energy and water conservation. For instance, the Dubai Integrated Energy Strategy include educating people rational consumption of natural resources, adopt a lifestyle that support sustainable development, and encourage responsible behaviour and shared responsibility . . 4 Recommendation/ Advice in Educating People About Food and Water Security Issues In view of the above information, the following may be recommended to educating people about food and water security in UAE. Encourage and educate more farmers to use greenhouses Conserving water is indeed a great challenge for UAE and along with concerned farmers, the UAE government according to is working out plan to reduce 50% of agricultural water consumption by 2014. The UAE is using 275 billion litres of water a year and 70% of these waters are consumed by farmers for irrigation and urban parkland. There is already a Farmers Services Centre (founded in 2009) that can be use to educate farmers in new farming technology but it can only cover 1,500 farms out of the 7,200 farms around UAE. The artificial farming sector on the other hand had already considered upgrading their irrigation system but it only covers around 1,200 farms . Greenhouse farming already demonstrated its worth as according to , the 1,200 farms associated and supported by the Abu Dhabi Farmers Service Centre produced more than 10,000 tonnes of vegetables in 2013. These farms are also expected to produce 38,000 tonnes more vegetables in 2014 and 2015. This increasing productivity was made possible by sustainable agriculture sponsored by the Abu Dhabi government. It is somewhat evident that if all 24,000 farms around Abu Dhabi will be involved in greenhouse farming, UAE will not only produce more crops but save more water in the coming years. Provide training and use renewable energy for desalination plants The region is evidently has a vast potential for wind power thus the UAE government as reported in is funding wind power as a green energy source. In particular, Masdar, UAE’s prominent renewable energy company is taking the lead in wind power projects and looking for potential turbine locations around UAE. For instance, the Tafila Wind Farm increase UAE’s power capacity 3% while the planned turbine sites in Sir Bani Yas Island is expected to generate 30MW more for UAE. Educate more citizens to conserve water through schools and special events UAE residents are evidently eager to participate in conservation programs. For instance, according to news report, residents actively participated in Earth Hour organised by WWF and willingly switched off their external lighting for one hour . The residents’ willingness to save is an indication that a water conservation education will succeed particularly when it is introduce at school where future users of energy and water are learning. Develop or acquire new technology and educate those involved in cereal farming The use greenhouses by farmers mentioned earlier are mostly for vegetables and not for cereals. UAE can adopt new technology and technique such as the “zero tillage” practices in Kazakhstan. In 2012, the state of Kazakhstan suffer drought resulting to 50% reduction in wheat harvest. However, wheat cultivated under zero-tillage farming technique still produce more grain despite drought. For instance, farmers using traditional farming practices during the dry season produced only enough wheat for next year’s seed while some completely lost their crop. In contrast, those who adopted conservation agriculture techniques like zero tillage produced more two tons of wheat per hectare. . Encourage and provide citizens with guidelines on how to detect and report water leaks. Similar to DEWA’s approach, other states in UAE can produce and distribute guidelines on how to detect and report water leaks. Conservation practices according to a 2014 report can save UAE as much as 14 to 17 % of water thus it is very important to encourage consumers to minimise consumption, prevent and repair wasteful leaks . A good example is FEWA or Federal Water and Electricity Authority’s three-pronged strategy that include awareness campaign targeting school children and parents, coordination with other government agencies, and higher tariff. There is also a plan for a mobile app that can regularly tract utility bills as such app can reduce water consumption by 15%, Review and improve building materials specifications particularly those related to plumbing and water use. DEWA’s water conservation project as mentioned earlier in the latter part of Section 3 successfully reduced the demand for electricity by as much as 15,346K. It also responsible for reducing Dubai residents water consumer by 40,777 gallons which is around 3,000 gallons less compared to 2010 consumption . Build more dams and launch education campaigns in recycling waste water Building more dams will not only result to more water reserve but less reliance on fossil fuel used in electricity generation. Water treatment plant on the other hand produced significant amount of waste water which is rising dramatically over the years. Note waste water flooding is occuring in a region where scarcity of water is high. For instance, according to Abu Dhabi Statistic Centre’s report in 2011, Abu Dhabi’s waste water in water treatment plants increased by almost 70% from 2005 to 2011 but they only produced 10% of the total water needs of Abu Dhabi. Another distressing report is the high levels of water usage and waste generated by luxury life style and lack of conservation measures. For instance, water use in villas with gardens is as high as 1,700 litres/day thus wastewater quantity is rising rapidly . Take advantage of the World Wide Web in disseminating information about food and water security Place posters and distribute food and water security flyers in malls and other public places. Conduct house to house visit and remind residents of the importance of food and water conservation. 5 References Read More

The UAE leadership according to the same White Paper is aware that there can be no food security without water and any disruption in food supply or policy change in other countries can greatly affect UAE’s food security. These realities encourage UAE leadership to become more concern with the region’s interest and use necessary resources to tackle food and water security issues . Some of the strategies include dealing with the four main issues such agricultural production and productivity, transparency of agricultural markets, international policy coordination, and mitigation of risk for the most vulnerable .

Increasing agricultural production and productivity according to the White Paper is a long-term challenge for UAE leadership as it involves feeding a rapidly growing population. This strategy will require UAE to increase food production by 70% by the year 2050 thus government need to invest more in agricultural research and development . In increasing the transparency of UAE’s agricultural markets, a new Agricultural Market Information System or AMIS will be established so data about supply, demand, and prices of agricultural commodities will be widely available.

Similarly, in improving international policy coordination, a Rapid Response Forum will be create in order to reduce trade distortions and facilitate understanding of challenges and opportunities associated with food prices . Mitigating risk for the most vulnerable according to White Paper involves development of regional system for emergency food reserves, and use of market and non-market instruments to protect the most vulnerable members of UAE society from price shocks. 3.2 Action Plan on Food Price Volatility and Agriculture UAE’s Action Plan on Food Price Volatility and Agriculture was developed in June 2011 which is largely focused on the importance of water in increasing agricultural production .

The UAE leadership highlighted the need for examining water-related issues that include promoting best practices in water management, cooperation on technology development, updated information regarding water supply and demand, additional technical assistance, and maximising synergies between international organisations . The UAE government along with various public and private organisations in the region are working together to address food and water security issues. For instance, the UAE government is encouraging farmers to adopt a more modern and effective farming techniques so they can save water for irrigation.

Consequently, there is a noticeable increase in farmers producing agricultural products through greenhouses as such technique reduces evaporation in hot temperatures and therefore save water. Moreover, since greenhouses are more conducive to organic farming, UAE farmers production increased with minimal water and energy, and more self-sufficient with solar panels . According to a news article in published in Gulfnews.com, experts from a United Nations agency is assisting UAE in developing greenhouses that only needs 10 % of water to produce the same amount of crop .

Another initiative of the UAE government to ensure food and water security through water conservation is the construction of 68 additional specially designed dams. These dams are intended to replenish UAE’s groundwater reserve while collecting freshwater from rain, natural springs, and wadis . Conservation education is also central to UAE government’s initiative such as those currently occurring in Sharjah where SEWA or Sharjah’s Electricity and Water Authority is distributing free water conservation kits to businesses and community members.

These kits are actually improved water-related gadgets such as more efficient faucet head, water leakage detectors, garden devices that automatically determines the amount of water needed for irrigation, and others that can help reduce water consumption by almost 40% . Societies according to can have water security if they successfully manage their water resources and services thus they need to know how to save water and protect the environment.

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