Emirati entrepreneur Abdulrahman Al Shamsi has been championing innovative ways to produce food locally since 1996. His farm – a luscious patch of green amid the red dunes of the desert – is a testament to his resilience and hard work.
The farm in Al Ain's Al Araad region spans 160,000 square metres and grows produce including dates, pomegranates, courgettes, watermelons, lemons, cabbage and mangoes.
In a year, his farm produces 150 tonnes of fruit and vegetables, and 50 tonnes of tilapia fish, and they make their way to the local supermarkets.
His farm is self-sufficient, with the food for the fish and the livestock grown on the farm, and water from the fish pools used to irrigate the crops. The ammonia-rich fish waste is used as fertiliser, while plastic coverings on the soil help to conserve moisture.
Mr Al Shamsi says the aquaculture approach has helped increase crop yields by three times while conserving water resources by 90 per cent.
With the UAE importing more than 80 per cent of food, the 54-year-old's farm shows innovative systems that can fight the challenges of the desert terrain.
Mr Al Shamsi, who was honoured with the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award for sustainable innovation, says many people visit his farm to “learn about his methods” with “more than 40 farms using his techniques”. “The government also helps a lot,” Mr Al Shamsi says.
“It's not just the UAE, most desert regions around the world are facing similar challenges,” he says while giving The National a tour of his farm, adding that his “unique and sustainable system” could prove a game changer. “At a low cost, I've been able to produce high quality and quantity produce."
Harnessing the power of microbes
Mr Al Shamsi also cultivates active bacteria on the farm to “enhance the quality of water” in the fish pools.
“Bacteria in the fish pools convert ammonia to nitrates, which become nutrients for plants,” he explains, adding how he cut production costs by choosing to produce active bacteria from inactive ones.
“If I buy active bacteria, it will cost me Dh60,000 a month. So instead, I buy inactive bacteria for Dh1,500 a month and I make it active in 15 days,” he says. A few blue cylindrical containers are set up in an air-conditioned room on the farm to do the job.
Each of the 12 fish pools has 40,000 to 50,000 tilapia. When fish grow to market size, they are sold for Dh12 a kilogram, he adds.
‘Lamborghini’ of poultry
The farm also breeds one of the most expensive chicken breeds, popularly known as “Lamborghini chicken”.
These birds have jet-black feathers and are originally from Indonesia. The “rare breed” can reportedly fetch thousands in US dollars, but Mr Al Shamsi sells each chicken for Dh300 and each egg for Dh50.
“I can afford to sell them for less because I've reduced the operating costs, with my farm equipped to produce 2,000 chickens a month,” he says, adding there's a special enclosure and an incubation machine exclusively for them. Currently, the farm produces about 1,000 Lamborghini chickens each month.
“The operating cost for my farm is Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 per month,” he adds, highlighting how his sustainable techniques go a long way in keeping the costs low.
The farm is self-sufficient. “The fish feed on aquatic ferns called azolla and the livestock feed on alfalfa crops. These are grown on the farm. Meanwhile, waste from the fish and poultry are used to make compost for the plants,” Mr Al Shamsi explains.
He has even cut manpower on the farm to eight, using modern tech wherever he can. The workers mainly help with harvesting crops and transporting waste and compost.
The farm is also home to livestock such as Boer, a South African breed of goat, and Najdi, a breed of domestic sheep primarily raised in Saudi Arabia.
New Abu Dhabi project
Recently, the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency launched the first sea cages aquaculture project in the emirate to meet the increasing demand for seafood. The project, south-east of Delma Island within Al Dhafra Region, aims to conduct scientific studies on culturing local fish species using floating aquaculture cage systems.
The project consists of six floating sea cages, capable of producing 100 tonnes of fish a year.
It will use artificial intelligence for data collection and advanced monitoring, and utilise environmental sensors to monitor marine water quality parameters, including temperature, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity and ammonia levels. It will also feature underwater and surface cameras to track fish behaviour and a smart gateway for data transmission, powered by solar panels.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Fixtures
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
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The Settlers
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Rating: 5/5
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Company%20Profile
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How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYango%20Deli%20Tech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERetail%20SaaS%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf%20funded%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
