Prize for algae pasta, crops

Abu Dhabi – Illuminated fishing nets, algae pasta and crops that grow in saltwater are among projects sharing a million-dollar prize for food security solutions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

A water-scarce nation with a desert climate and very little arable land, the oil-rich UAE imports 90% of its food.

But it is intent on reducing this external reliance, an issue brought to the fore by the coronavirus pandemic, which disrupted global supply chains.

“The UAE is very vulnerable to global supply disruptions and we want to make sure we’re food-secure,” said Mariam Almheiri, Minister of State for Food and Water Security.

“It is very difficult to grow food here and this is why we want to boost... the local production.”

UK-based SafetyNet Technologies, Red Sea Farms from Saudi Arabia, Australia-based Has Algae and QS Monitor from the UAE were each awarded $100 000 (about R1.5 million) after being selected from 437 submissions from 68 countries.