The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) has organised, in coordination with Abu Dhabi Municipality Department (Shahama area), Al Rahba Police and the Environment Agency, an awareness-inspection campaign on Al Samha farms, to limit the phenomenon of trading in irrigation water and to ensure the optimum use of available water resources in farms.
The campaign came as part of ADFCA's efforts to ensure the application of proper agricultural practices in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and to educate farms' owners and workers about the importance of conserving the environment and human health, by combating the phenomenon of selling irrigation water in Al Samha area.
The authority's inspectors visited about 130 farms and inspected the agricultural practices followed in these farms. They also inspected the water pipelines of ADFCA's collective irrigation stations. The campaign also aimed to raise awareness of more than 300 workers about the importance of rationalizing use of water and performing periodic maintenance of irrigation pipelines of the farm, as well as avoiding practices that would waste water resources.
The inspectors stressed the importance of watering plants in the late afternoon or early evening as well as using modern tools of irrigation, such as drip irrigation. In addition, they affirmed the need for helping relevant authorities to eliminate the phenomenon of trading in irrigation water.
ADFCA has initiated a range of activities and programmes aim to realize a sustainable agricultural sector, to meet the emerging needs and dynamics of the sector. Its efforts further aim to provide farmers with economically viable agricultural activities to improve the income of the farm's owners. The authority also adopts policies that encourage agricultural farmers to continue to work in agriculture sector. In addition, ADFCA also ensures the availability of safe and quality of agricultural products, which grabs best returns in the market while strictly following policies that contribute in the protection of natural resources in the emirate.
