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Growers in Abu Dhabi want to produce more with less use of water and pesticides
The Greenhouse Horticulture and Flower Bulbs Business Unit of Wageningen University & Research started a demonstration project in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) several years ago. The aim of the project is for growers to use less water and pesticides and still achieve good production. The government of Abu Dhabi, one of the Arab Emirates, asked WUR to start a similar project. Researcher Jouke Campen: “Growers can achieve a lot of profit with simple techniques – such as soil sensors. I hope we can initiate such a transition in Adu Dhabi.”
There are three regions in Abu Dhabi where agricultural production takes place on a fairly large scale: in the vicinity of Abu Dhabi city (where it is humid and warm), near the city of Al Ain and in the south (where it is in both cases are dry and warm). Vegetables are grown in simple greenhouses, such as cucumber, tomato and eggplant. Some companies also grow figs in a greenhouse. Many companies also have an open field for the cultivation of, for example, zucchini, corn or animal feed. And there are many companies that also have livestock, such as cows and chickens.
The greenhouses are usually plastic tunnels several tens of meters long. It can get quite warm in those greenhouses, but with evaporative cooling you can still grow crops even in the summer. Research has shown that with a few simple adjustments, water use for cooling can be enormously reduced. These adjustments will be applied to a number of commercial companies to demonstrate the effect in practice. In addition, soil sensors are being installed at a number of companies: they measure the moisture content in the soil. An app on the mobile phone then provides the grower with help with watering, i.e. how often and how much? The soil sensors will soon be installed at the first nine companies.
The growers also receive help from WUR in the use of biological control, such as the use of predators. Insect pressure is high on many of the farms; Growers therefore use a lot of pesticides to this day. The growers also learn how to scout for diseases and pests. This happens, among other things, during information meetings at the demonstration farms.
The project in Abu Dhabi started in 2023 and will last four years. The project is funded by the government of Abu Dhabi.