Top officials and policymakers have urged governments to act, work together to strengthen global food security and defend the small farmer.
A global Food for Future summit at Expo 2020 Dubai trained the spotlight on how climate change affected agriculture and food systems, leading to hunger and poverty.
World leaders highlighted the critical need for innovative projects to support vulnerable communities and people living in poverty who do not have the resources to adapt to climate change.
Mariam Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, spoke of the UAE’s role in building sustainable food systems.
Governments need to fundamentally rethink their policies and put in place bold action
Martien Van Nieuwkoop,
global director for agriculture and food at the World Bank Group
“For the first time in the Mena region, we are coming together to initiate dialogue at all levels to accelerate the global transition towards sustainable food systems,” she said at a conference on Thursday.
Ms Almheiri spoke of exploring new solutions to address food security challenges and uniting “as one global community to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.
The summit comes as governments strive to address a looming agricultural shortfall to feed a global population that is likely to exceed 10 billion by 2050.
Ban Ki-moon, the former UN secretary general, warned that agricultural yields could decrease by 30 per cent if action was not taken in time.
“Supporting smallholder farmers is needed more than ever to address the growing population, the increase in demand for food, and to make food systems sustainable and resilient,” the ex-UN chief told delegates in a virtual address.
He spoke of the urgent need for a ‘people first’ approach as global smallholder farmers need an estimated $240 billion a year in finance support but received $10 billion in 2018.
Influential leaders stressed the need to optimise food production and reduce waste, and outlined the link between climate change and health.
Martien Van Nieuwkoop, global director for agriculture and food at the World Bank Group, warned the world was facing challenges of food insecurity, growing hunger and climate emergency.
“Governments need to fundamentally rethink their policies and put in place bold action,” he said.
“With one-third of all agricultural production lost to waste every year, equating to more than $1 trillion annually, we need to work seriously to address food production and waste. If this can be resolved, we would achieve a win-win situation of reducing greenhouse emissions while improving food security.”
He urged governments to go beyond a business-as-usual approach and instead implement food systems to support healthy people, the planet, and economies.
This was the first time in the Middle East and North Africa region that a government ministry had joined with a UN group such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation to bring regional and international experts together.
Abdul Hakim Elwaer, the organisation's assistant director general, said the transformation of agrifood systems — the chain from production to consumption — must be prioritised by harnessing digital technology to make food systems more sustainable.
“If we don’t address the soil, water and rivers properly, there will be no base for agriculture and no highly qualified agricultural raw materials,” he said. “That is why agrifood systems are very important for defining the future of humanity in the region.”
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Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20Profile
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Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Dark Blue Winter Overcoat & Other Stories From the North
Edited and Introduced by Sjón and Ted Hodgkinson
Pushkin Press
England's Ashes squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
SUZUME
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EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
