The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has launched the 'Agricultural Registry' project to build accurate and comprehensive database for the agricultural sector in Abu Dhabi Emirate. It will help estimate local production, update farm and farm owners data, and link such data directly to the databases of Abu Dhabi Digital Authority and Statistics Center - Abu Dhabi.

ADAFSA's field teams have begun collecting data using GIS technology. Meanwhile, technical support teams are working on auditing and analyzing data to come up with statistical indicators that shape the future of the agriculture sector in Abu Dhabi, develop plans to support its sustainability, achieve food security and enhance biosecurity systems.

In this regard, HE Mubarak Ali Al Qusaili Al Mansouri, Executive Director of Agricultural Affairs Sector at ADAFSA, said: "This is the first-ever agricultural registry in Abu Dhabi Emirate, which aims at estimating production of conventional and commercial farms, as well as building accurate and comprehensive database for Abu Dhabi's agricultural sector."

Developing the registry requires conducting a comprehensive survey of the data of about 24,018 agricultural holdings alongside large-scale commercial in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra, Al Mansouri added, stating that a multi-skilled team is responsible for developing the registry by collecting and updating data, to draw conclusions that support achieving agricultural sustainability and increasing contribution of local production to fulfilling consumer needs.

According to Al Mansouri, the registry will provide accurate and updated geospatial data on the agricultural holdings in Abu Dhabi. This includes information about farm owners and workers, general features of each holding, such as soil type, salinity and production volume, crop types cultivated in open-field or greenhouses throughout the season, negative practices that are harmful to natural resources, abandoned farms, and on-farm practices.

Furthermore, Al Mansouri noted the registry helps count number and types of planted trees, such as fruit, forest and palm trees, in addition to providing information about the production of fish and honeybee farms in Abu Dhabi. He asserted that updating these statistical data regularly is aligned with Abu Dhabi government data management standards, and helps determining the agricultural sector's contribution to Abu Dhabi's GDP, as well as formulating evidence-based comprehensive development plans according to future needs.

"The registry database will help directing government support programs to those entitled according to updated information, increasing agricultural-related investment opportunities, and monitoring the distribution of plant and animal production according to emirate agricultural areas. This will contribute to building farmers' capacities, transferring successful farming experiences to low-productivity areas, enhancing agricultural marketing operations and improving farmers' income," he clarified.

Al Mansouri urged the emirate's farm owners to interact with ADAFSA's field teams and provide them with the right information. He emphasized this database will serve farm owners themselves, as it helps take the necessary decisions to advance farms and improve its production, thus contributing to supporting the sector and its workers.