Consultation Subject:

The agricultural sector consumes about 61% of its water consumption in the country. It is estimated that 94% of the consumption of the agricultural sector comes from groundwater, which leads to the consumption of groundwater in a way that does not affect the water quality. The depletion of groundwater in this way is the main motive for implementing the water demand management program in the agricultural sector and encourages a high but high use of water.

The Dance Festival Retrain initiative is designed to reduce energy consumption on a global scale among government agencies and the private sector.

Consultation Objective:

•  The Farm Rehabilitation Initiative is among the initiatives that the Ministry is working on to reduce energy and water consumption on farms.
•  Work is being done to assist and guide farmers in the best ways to reduce energy and water consumption.
•  The initiative comes within partnership projects with the private sector, where companies work to provide financing solutions to help ease the burden of investment on farmers.
•  All equipment consuming energy and water shall be rehabilitated by raising its efficiency or replacing it.
•  Solar energy is relied upon to feed a large part of the loads.
• Achieving a 35% reduction in water consumption and a 25% reduction in energy consumption.

Consultation Decision:

Cooperation with farmers interested in rehabilitating their farms according to the agreed cooperation model on him. So that the private sector is involved in financing, implementing, and operating farm rehabilitation initiatives (increasing the efficiency of energy and water consumption) without the farmer bearing any initial investments, and the investor obtains the return by obtaining the savings of reducing consumption according to the agreed period.

Outcome

The United Arab Emirates is located in a dry and arid territory, and the desert environment constitutes more than three-quarters of the total area of the country. Its environment is characterized by lack of rain, high temperatures, poor soil, and lack of natural waterways, all of which have had a clear impact on the agricultural sector in the country. Despite the challenges posed by these factors, the UAE has made a clear effort to build an agricultural sector that is more capable of contributing to food security and diversity, as well as the national economy.

Agriculture was a main priority for the UAE Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who once said: "Grant me agriculture, and I shall guarantee civilization for you."

The agricultural sector is one of the most important sectors targeted in the National Water and Energy Demand Management Program, which aims to reduce water demand by 60% by 2050. Agriculture also enjoys great importance and direct follow-up by the government to support the national agricultural sector and enhance food security. Thus, the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036 and the National Food Security Strategy 2051 were launched to ensure the sustainability and continuity of access to water during normal and emergency conditions in conjunction with developing sustainable local production enabled by technology for the entire value chain and devoting advanced and smart technologies in food production.

The agricultural sector consumes about 61% of the total water consumption in the country. It is estimated that 94% of the agricultural water consumption comes from groundwater, which has led to unsustainable consumption of groundwater that affects water quality and availability. Groundwater depletion in this way is a major motive for implementing the water demand management program in the agricultural sector, urging the use of water in a highly efficient and sustainable manner.

Farmers play a crucial role in cutting down water consumption in the agricultural sector. To get their feedback and educate them about the importance of lowering water consumption in their farms, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI) invited them to participate in a survey on farms rehabilitation.

More than 189 farmers from different emirates of the country participated in this digital consultation. Participants worked on farms of different sizes, with the majority, 45%, representing average size farms. Around 71% of participants use their farms for personal purposes, and 3% use them for a commercial purpose, while the farms that combined both personal and commercial purposes were estimated at 27%.

Fears of groundwater depletion were also confirmed by the fact that groundwater was consumed in irrigating the majority of farms at a rate of 64%, and desalination water came at a rate of 36%. This was clearly reflected in farmers' awareness of the high consumption of electricity and water bills on farms, as 63% of participants confirmed they receive high electricity bills and 44% confirmed they receive high monthly water bills. And whether farms bring benefit or financial returns to farm owners, 83% of participants confirmed that they don't, while 17% stated that they benefit from their farms.

The digital consultation on farm rehabilitation found that more than 34% of participants consider the devices and equipment present on the farm to be of high consumption, leading to higher monthly bills for electricity and water. Next, the irrigation methods used on the farm are among the most important reasons for the increase in consumption by 28%, after which 22% were attributed to agricultural factors such as crop quality and soil types, and 15% were attributed to other factors.

The digital consultation also presented the participants' positive desire to install equipment and devices that contribute to reducing electricity and water consumption on their farms, with an approval rate of 91%. This was actually reflected in their desire to cooperate with private companies to carry out rehabilitation work, also estimated at 91%.

When asked about the major challenges that face farmers, the answers varied. They included: 

• High cost of electricity, equipment, and modern organic agricultural systems
• Lack of guidance to farmers regarding the products to be grown
• Farmers struggle to market their products in the local market
• Lack of dedicated places in the local market to sell their products
• The cost of electricity bills and workers' salaries is much more than the annual return
• The high costs of agricultural inputs, such as water, electricity, agricultural materials, seeds, etc., while we lack sales channels that guarantee the sale of crops at prices that at least cover the costs.
• High temperature and water evaporation
• Soil poverty, which makes the need for fertilizers greater than in all neighboring countries and the region
• The difficulty of searching for certified companies with reasonable prices and availability to purchase farm equipment and services
• Lack of government support and incorrect irrigation method for some farms, causing depletion of groundwater levels 
• We need courses and guidance from the agriculture authority about market needs and how to increase production
• There is no financial return from marketing crops, as traders do not value crops at a reasonable value in relation to the costs of agriculture and production

Some of the most important goals of the farm rehabilitation initiative are to reduce energy and water consumption in the agricultural sector, reduce energy and water bills for farm owners, and find clean energy solutions, in addition to introducing farm owners to savings solutions and helping farm owners to change. This consultation is fully consistent with the principle of the initiative and reflects farmers' desire to make a change on their farms to reduce the demand for water on the farm.

Accordingly, the farm rehabilitation initiative was designed to reduce energy and water consumption by forming a partnership between government agencies and the private sector. A specific contract model is agreed upon. It engages the private sector in financing, implementing, and operating farm rehabilitation initiatives (raising the efficiency of energy and water consumption) without the farmer bearing any initial investments, and the investor obtains the return by obtaining savings from reducing consumption according to the contract period.

Some of the participants' comments and suggestions express the need to integrate federal and local efforts between decision-makers and farmers to rationalize groundwater consumption by supporting monthly electricity and water bills, supporting the use of advanced technologies and modern organic agriculture, marketing organic products in local organic markets, encouraging sustainable agricultural production, and protecting and encouraging local products of high quality or organic quality.

The consultation outcome has emphasized the importance of installing solar panels. A total of 91% of participants agreed to this as it may support farmers with limited income operate irrigation pumps using clean energy, instead of traditional energy sources, such as gas or fossil fuels. This will increase the efficiency of crops, achieve financial saving for farmers, as the cost of solar panels continue to drop, and spread awareness of optimal uses of solar energy to reduce the demand for water in farms.

Participants also highlighted the importance of educating farmers about the need to expand their work and not limit themselves to selling only raw materials, and working to find products and develop existing ones, install solar energy, and renew irrigation methods.