Treated sewage effluent explored as key enhancer of UAE’s food and water security

DUBAI, 20th September 2021 The capacity of Treated Sewage Effluent (TSE) to be a key enhancer of the nation’s food security was explored at a workshop held yesterday, with the activity outlining a specialist research project that is being conducted in the UAE. Undertaken by four main partners; the UAE-based International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA); International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA); the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU); and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), the science project that was the focus of the workshop is evaluating how the country’s growing landscape of advanced farming within protected agriculture systems initiatives - such as indoor greenhouses and vertical farms - can benefit from using TSE and biosolids, much of which is currently wasted. Attending the virtual workshop, Mariam Hareb Almheiri, Minister of State for Food Security, said that it represented a significant step in evaluating novel methods in a multidisciplinary approach towards enhancing food security, through adopting an approach to developing government policies based on research, development and scientific evidence. "The UAE’s annual water demand amounts to around 5 billion cubic metres, with Treated Sewage Effluent accounting for about 11% of this demand. We produce around 735 million cubic metres of TSE each year, but more than a quarter of this resource is either lost or discharged into the sea. This is a tremendous waste, as TSE is rich in nutrients, making it an ideal medium to support crop growth," said Her Excellency. "It’s the same situation with biosolids. Annually, the UAE produces about 167,000 tons of biosolids, of which a large amount is wasted. This is another missed opportunity when you consider that treated biosolids can be used to fertilise crops grown in CEA farms, thereby negating the need to use artificial fertilisers and chemical growth products," she added. "Both TSE and biosolids are valuable resources and shouldn’t be wasted. By utilising TSE in particular in our agricultural sector – specifically in Controlled Environment Agriculture systems - we can increase our agricultural yield and the amount of food produced in the country without the need to consume our water resources. This will enable us to achieve better rates of food selfsufficiency, which will play an important role in enhancing both food and water security," she continued. The scientific project is significant because the UAE has one of the world’s highest per capita water