Q&A WITH DR ALI AL HAMMADI

Q Who is your role model? A

“The word impossible is not in the leaders’ dictionaries. No matter how big the challenges, strong faith, determination and resolve will overcome them,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum once said. I have always been inspired by the aspiring visions of our leaders. These visions shaped our life and impacted the continuous growth of the UAE.

One thing that you would change if you were to start Farmin again?

I would build the minimum viable product and reach out to farmers sooner to better capture issues of most concern and tailor Farmin to their needs.

How important has where you started Farmin been to the success of your venture? I had the chance to start Farmin with the support of the UAE Space Agency and Krypto Labs, a global innovation hub in Masdar City, which is at the heart of UAE’s innovation. The UAE Space Agency and Krypto Labs teams greatly influenced the progress of Farmin as they guided me. In addition, Farmin was developed in response to issues faced by the UAE agricultural sector which is applicable through all of Mena.

Where do you imagine Farmin five years from now? I envision that Farmin will be able to serve millions of farm acres across many Mena countries. It will serve as an efficient tool to cut agricultural cost and waste.

I believe it will provide regional farmers with the necessary data to maximise their yield and allow more efficient management of farms and resources. Moreover, it will enable supervising ministries to monitor the usage of resources and farm outputs, thus increasing food security.