AirFarm is a portable farm that can grow potatoes and tomatoes without the need for soil and instead utilises hydroponics, small pipes that direct water to the roots of plants.
It aims to reduce water wastage and promote food security and sustainable farming practices globally.
Alberto Peralta, director of innovation at ADU, said the indoor container takes about 10 minutes to inflate and can be used to start a farm within a day.
“The AirFarm is not a new idea and there have been other examples in the UAE. But the main difference is that this unit can be installed in a small space,” Dr Peralta told The National.
The indoor AirFarm is located at Abu Dhabi University and is designed to fit into small spaces. Photo: Abu Dhabi University
“They can also be stacked depending on the scope of production. The main objective here is to serve food security purposes.”
AirFarm was launched in collaboration with Midar, a Korean smart-ag technology company, and Rashed bin Khalfan Al Mutawa Dhaheri Holding Company.
It uses artificial intelligence to control the farm climate, which aims to increase crop yields by up to 30 per cent and reduce labour costs by up to 80 per cent.
AirFarm is currently being used as an educational project for students and the wider UAE community to learn about sustainable solutions to overcome food security, with plans to launch an outdoor version that can work under the UAE's climate conditions.
“Every school, university and institution could have something that can be folded and when needed can be unfolded and put to work in a matter of hours,” Dr Peralta said.
“Rather than having expensive investments in creating new supplies and resources in a time of crisis.”
MWTC
Tickets start from Dh100 for adults and are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. Three-day and travel packages are also available at 20 per cent discount.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.
A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.
"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah 5.10pm: Continous 5.45pm: Raging Torrent 6.20pm: West Acre 7pm: Flood Zone 7.40pm: Straight No Chaser 8.15pm: Romantic Warrior 8.50pm: Calandogan 9.30pm: Forever Young
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
