The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) has carried out on Monday an awareness campaign targeting Al Hayer farms in Al Ain, to raise awareness of farm owners and workers to protect the environment and human health, reduce the phenomenon of throwing and burning crop residues, and monitor wrong practices being committed in some of those farms.

The campaign aimed to ensure the compliance of farmers with legislations, laws and regulations issued by ADFCA which contribute to achieve a sustainable agricultural sector. The authority's inspectors have introduced the owners and workers of farms to the best agricultural practices and safest methods to get rid of agricultural residues. They also distributed several awareness leaflets contain information about Farmer's Income Improvement Program and the safest ways to get rid of agricultural residues. Moreover, the authority's inspectors have monitored violations in such farms in the evening and outside the official working hours.

The campaign resulted in issuing two fines to farms that are not complying with ADFCA's requirements regarding the safe disposal of agricultural residues, as workers of one of those farms have burned agricultural residues, while the workers of the other farm have threw out agricultural residues in places not designated for such purpose. ADFCA's inspectors raised awareness of nine farms about the importance of complying with the authority's requirements and preserving the environment.

Given the importance of farm in developing the agricultural production and quality, the campaign comes in line with ADFCA's objectives aim at ensuring sustainable agriculture sector. Therefore, the authority is keen to brief farm owners and workers with the sound agricultural practices by carrying out several awareness campaigns.

ADFCA is striving to formulate the general policy, develop various plans, and carry out several programs and activities to achieve sustainable agricultural development in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The authority also seeks to achieve Abu Dhabi Government's agricultural policy aimed at realizing a sustainable agricultural sector by applying the latest agro-systems and practices, providing advice, logistical support and technical services to farmers, and improving the competitiveness of local agricultural products, which increases the food security levels in the emirate.