The second day of the second edition of Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Security Week (ADAFSW), taking place from 20th-22nd November at the Abu Dhabi International Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), spotlighted the role of scientific research in boosting agricultural sustainable growth.
The event is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA).
Day two of ADAFSW saw the launch of the UAE Microbiome Conference, which is organised by the Khalifa Centre for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (KCBGE) of the UAE University, in the presence of Dr. Mariam Hareb Al Suwaidi, Deputy Director-General for Operational Affairs at ADAFSA, Dr. Khaled Amiri, KCBGE Director, Dr. Sunil Mundra, Coordinator of the Conference Organising Committee, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the UAE University, in a
ddition to several scientists, experts, and specialists in the field of microbiome and its applications, as well as a number of faculty members, representatives of participating entities, and students of microbiology.
Dr. Mariam Hareb Al Suwaidi stressed that the conference is aligned with our goals of achieving sustainable agricultural development and food security. It will do this by bringing together scientific research and knowledge to support sustainable development goals in the Year of Sustainability, which was launched by President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan under the theme “Today for Tomorrow.”
In a speech at the opening of the conference, she said that the microbiome is a critical area of research for understanding how our health and environment are affected by tiny organisms. Therefore, ADAFSA focuses on using microbiome studies to achieve sustainable agriculture. Understanding the beneficial bacteria in agriculture can help improve soil quality, plant growth, and resistance t
o diseases and pests.
It also helps to expand organic farming systems and reduce reliance on chemical pesticides by intensifying organic pest control systems, and improving livestock productivity. She pointed out that by learning about and using the microbiome, it can contribute to promoting agricultural sustainability and ensuring food security by improving crop yields, soil quality, and plant resistance to harsh environmental conditions and pests.
For his part, Dr. Khaled Amiri said that the organisation of this important conference reflects the increasing importance of the microbiome, and its role in promoting human, plant and animal health and achieving the welfare of society…
The fourth edition of “VIV MEA”, the world’s leading event in the field of livestock development, dairy production, poultry, and table eggs, continued with a large turnout from livestock sector professionals, with the participation of more than 500 global and regional suppliers from the entire supply chain of all animal species
production, with a clear focus on innovation, technology and scientific research.
VIV MEA is the international trade show from feed to food for the production and processing of poultry meat, eggs, fish and dairy in the Middle East and Africa. It brings together stakeholders in this industry from around the world.
Alongside the VIV MEA trade show, wholly focused on animal based protein as usual, the organiser VNU Europe will separately bring extra contents and products from suppliers of controlled environments and precision agriculture as well as innovations and technologies for smart food production, covering topics such as plant based protein production, improved nutritional value and health, organic food concepts, increase yields programmes, control pests solutions, water saving systems, energy use management, and more.
On its second day, VIV MEA hosted a global seminar on the poultry industry and artificial intelligence, opportunities and challenges, which discussed the potential of using modern technol
ogies to develop and improve the poultry industry and provide innovative solutions that enhance its contribution to supporting the food security system and its sustainability.
In this context, Dr. Rashid Mohamed Al Mansoori, Executive Director of Animal Wealth Sector at ADAFSA, stressed the importance of artificial intelligence in improving poultry breeding and production quality.
He said, in a speech during the opening of the seminar, that artificial intelligence is playing an essential role in various fields of life, and it can contribute to improving the efficiency and quality of animal production by tracking and combating the spread of diseases in poultry farms, addressing the challenges of marketing, financing, management, and sales through analysing market trends, consumer behaviour, in addition to strengthening the supply chain and reducing waste.
The seminar reviewed several papers, including one on the importance of using new digital technologies and artificial intelligence to improve the quality
of animal-sourced food products.
The seminar also highlighted diverse experiences and experiments that have greatly benefited from AI in areas related to marketing, financing, management, and sales of poultry and its products. It discussed the current level of the industry and the future prospects for the use of modern technology to develop animal protein production, poultry farming, and egg production.
Source: Emirates News Agency