UAE seeks entrepreneurs via Youth Food Security Stations
INITIATIVE AIMED AT ENABLING YOUNG PEOPLE TO PURSUE AGRICULTURE
The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MoCCAE) inaugurated the Youth Food Security Stations yesterday, aimed at building the capacity of young Emiratis to become agricultural entrepreneurs. The network will also serve as a platform for innovative projects that will enhance UAE’s food security and diversify its local food supply chain.
Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, said: “The challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic have highlighted the paramount importance of food security and sustainability. MoCCAE is working closely with its strategic partners from the public and private sectors to ensure uninterrupted food supply by strengthening imports and boosting homegrown food production in terms of quantity and quality with the aim of increasing the share of local food products in the market.”
The food that we produce locally are definitely less expensive than the products we get from outside [the country].”
Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi | Minister of Climate Change and Environment
Close collaboration
MoCCAE is collaborating with National and Reserve Service Authority for the project that is also supported by the Office of the Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Office of the Minister of State for Food and Water Security and the Federal Youth Authority.
Speaking to Gulf News after the launch, Al Nuaimi said: “The food that we produce locally are definitely less expensive than the products we get from outside [the country]. The quality is also better than what we import from abroad.”
Al Nuaimi said five food stations will be initially established across the UAE, with the first one in Abu Dhabi. He noted: “For the first food station, around 50 to 70 (young) nationals will be exposed to agriculture, networking and marketing. The initiative will enable young Emiratis to become entrepreneurs in animal and crop agriculture, beekeeping and aquaculture, and actively contribute to national food security.”
According to MoCCAE, the primary target of the initiative are those in the National and Reserve Service Programme and secondarily any Emirati youth who is interested in food security entrepreneurship. MOCCAE will also partner with the Ministry of Economy and Ministry of State for Youth Affairs to encourage youth participation in the initiative and to connect graduates with financial institutions that will support them in launching their agricultural start-ups.
Three-stage programme
The Youth Food Security Stations initiative is a three-stage programme blending academic learning with hands-on training. Stage one will focus on the fundamentals of agricultural business management, modern farm design, sustainable agricultural production, agricultural innovation, and marketing. Participants will also explore the ways local production can support food security and meet the needs of the population at a time of an emergency.
During stage two, trainees will apply the theories they learned with a focus on the design and installation of farming systems, management of protected and open-field agriculture systems, livestock and poultry breeding, aquaculture, feed processing, and beekeeping and honey production.
They will also learn the basics of modern farm management, such as feasibility studies, budgets, accounting, asset management, and procurement.
Final stage
The final stage will be handson training on processes that take place post-harvest until the products reach retail outlets, such as marketing, negotiation and sales. Every trainee must complete a graduation project that involves preparing a proposal for an agricultural business, project, or technology that is assessed by trainers, who will provide recommendations so that it can be submitted to financial institutions.