Food and water security top the agenda during UAE minister’s visit to Israel

Abu Dhabi opened an embassy in Tel Aviv this week

Mariam Al Mheiri, UAE Minister of State for Food Security, on the trip to Israel. Wam

The UAE and Israel are joining forces in the fields of food and water security.

Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of State for Food Security, signed several agreements while in the country from July 13 to 16, state news agency Wam reported.

The visit coincided with the opening of the Emirati embassy in Tel Aviv.

UAE and Israel share challenges in ensuring their populations have access to adequate amounts of nutritious food and water,” Ms Al Mheiri said.

She signed a memorandum of understanding with Oded Forer, Israel’s Minister of Agriculture.

The move is to increase co-operation in food production, food supply chains and research and innovation.

Ms Al Mheiri also signed an agreement with Tamar Zandberg, Israel’s Minister of Environmental Protection, to combine research into climate change and ensuring biodiversity.

“One of the main pillars of the UAE’s National Food Security Strategy 2051 is to increase the UAE’s use of technology across its entire food value chain, while a second is to expand our international sources of food,” Ms Al Mheiri said.

“Israel has one of the best startup ecosystems in the world and with the ... sector dominated by innovation, the UAE is particularly keen to explore collaboration in this area.”

She said the UAE’s recently launched Food Tech Valley aimed to become a hub for the sector and could host emerging and established Israeli companies that were pioneering initiatives such as controlled environment agriculture, seed treatment, precise irrigation, solar energy and desalination.

“We believe that partnering with Israel will be a significant boost to the UAE’s National Food Security Strategy 2051, which aims to see the UAE as a world-leading hub of innovation food security within the next three decades,” she said.

As part of the trip, Ms Al Mheiri travelled to the Arava Desert and toured of the Arava research and development centre,.

The Arava facility is a leading scientific research and development centre that aims to develop and advance new materials, raise the quality of produce, find new crops and open new markets.

Food Tech Valley launched - in pictures