Date: 14 Nov, 2024
Location: Dubai - UAE
H.E. Dr. Obaid Saif Hamad Al-Zaabi, Chairman of the Board of Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID), participated as a speaker in the panel discussion ” Women in Agricultural Technology ” held on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, as part of the AgriNext Conference. The conference takes place from November 13-14, 2024, at the Conference Center in Le Méridien Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
During the session, H.E. explained that since 2004, AAAID has been focusing on associations of small-scall farmers and producers and developing rural women farmers through implementing a range of programs and supportive activities. These include agricultural guidance, technical support, the dissemination and localization of modern agricultural technologies, providing revolving loans for production operations, and supervising their implementation, leading to the establishment of successful model projects.
He also emphasized that focusing on rural women working in agriculture is among the top priorities of AAAID, which supports and finances this segment by providing small revolving loans to implement pioneering projects aimed at rural agricultural development. AAAID has supported over 4,000 women in several Arab countries.
H.E. added that there is an urgent need to provide necessary assistance to women farmers to overcome current climatic and economic changes. This can be achieved through advanced practical training on sustainable farming techniques, expanding access to small loans and simplifying their procedures, as well as organizing campaigns to highlight the role of rural women.
On the sidelines of the conference, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the AAAID and Development and B-farm for Vertical Farming. The MoU was signed by H.E. Dr. Obaid Saif Hamad Al-Zaabi on behalf of AAAID, and by Mr. Paulo Bertero, General Manager of B-farm.
The MoU aims to establish a general framework for cooperation between the two parties in areas related to their joint activities, as well as cooperation in several areas of mutual interest, such as exchanging expertise, technical support for investment opportunities, and research and development in vertical farming systems suitable for the Arab region. It also includes knowledge transfer through training, workshops, and seminars, in addition to assessing the feasibility of establishing a company in the Gulf region specializing in technical systems for farming in a controlled environment.
