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Growing Greener

When we think about technology we usually think about the shiny, sterile tech of science-fiction films and clean rooms, all smooth white walls and chrome fixtures.

But one of the most important areas of technology innovation is anything but shiny and sterile: It’s the earthy, fertile technology of producing healthful food for growing populations in a challenging era of climate change.

Agricultural technology – or agtech – is especially important in the Middle East, where clean water is scarce and farmable land is also in short supply. The United Arab Emirates currently imports about 85 percent of the food it consumes. In 2020 its imported-food bill was about U.S.$14 billion, up from the nearly U.S.$10 billion it spent in 2010.

Supply-chain problems of the COVID-19 epidemic put in sharp relief the need to reduce that dependency on imported foods with more homegrown products. And innovators are stepping up to help this desert nation cut short that sometimes fragile and always energy-hungry import chain.

In this issue we look closer at some of the emerging technologies and strategies to bring food production home without straining precious resources. Senior science writer Jade Sterling investigates the challenges of producing food as temperatures rise; editor Suzanne Condie Lambert checks in with researchers who work with the robots that help run aquaculture farms; and science writer Maggie Kinsella reports on vertical farming.

We also have more of the stunning images and design you’ve come to expect from KUST Review. You’ll find even more in these pages, on our website, www.KUSTReview.com, and on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and YouTube @KUSTReview. So page, click, subscribe and follow to get the best of our coverage of science in the Middle East and around the world in English and in Arabic.

As always, be informed and stay curious.

Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi
Editor-in-Chief