Unlocking the potential of Protected Agriculture in the GCC countries: cutting water consumption while supporting improved nutrition and food security

The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) will organize a workshop in partnership with FAO and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) under an FAO Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity (WSI). Funded by the Ministry of Environment and Water of the United Arab Emirates, this initiative is aimed at supporting the countries of the NENA Region to cope with one of their most striking challenges: the pursuit of food and water securities for a sustainable social and economic development under an unprecedented severe escalation of water scarcity.

One response to this challenge is the use of hydroponic greenhouses, possibly with technological advances that provide the opportunity to condense and recycle the water transpired by the plant inside the greenhouse. As part of this initiative, FAO is preparing a technical report to assess: “Opportunities for unlocking the potential of Protected Agriculture for cutting water consumption in the GCC countries while supporting improved nutrition and food security”. 

To prepare this assessment, FAO is establishing a working group comprised of country focal points and other scientists from the region who have established knowledge and experience in protected agriculture in the GCC states. 

The main issues to be discussed are as follows: 

• Consolidation of the report outline and suggestions on how to complete/consolidate this outline and more specifically to complete the outline with names of people that are competent to cover specific sections of the report 
• Involvement of the national country focal points and get them eventually on board as co-authors as appropriate in the different chapters