ADIO has individually collaborated with AeroFarms, Madar Farms, RNZ and RDI to build new R&D and production facilities to address agriculture challenges

indoor farm

ADIO has announced $100m investment to develop next-generation agriculture. (Credit: JamesDeMers from Pixabay)

The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) has announced the investment of around AED367m ($100m) in four agricultural technology firms to build next-generation agriculture in arid and desert region.

ADIO has individually collaborated with AeroFarms, Madar Farms, RNZ and Responsive Drip Irrigation (RDI) to develop new research and development (R&D) and production facilities in the emirate to address agriculture challenges and expand the business of local food producers.

ADIO’s targeted incentive programme focuses on advancing the growth of emirate’s AgTech ecosystem

In 2019, ADIO announced a targeted incentive programme to advance the growth of the emirate’s AgTech ecosystem.

US-based AeroFarms will build a new 8,200m² R&D centre in Abu Dhabi, which is claimed to be the largest indoor vertical farm of its kind in the world.

With around engineers, horticulturists and scientists, the new &D centre will focus on advanced organoleptic research and precision phenotyping, advanced speed breeding, machine vision and machine learning, and robotics, automation and drone technology.

UAE-based AgTech firm Madar Farms has unveiled plans to develop world’s first commercial-scale indoor tomato farm using LED lights in KIZAD, an industrial free zone in Abu Dhabi. It already manages R&D facility in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s sustainable urban community.

RDI has developed a disruptive irrigation technology that facilitates plants to self-regulate water and nutrient delivery. The plant-responsive irrigation system enables to growing plants in tough environment.

The company is carrying out research trials research trials to enhance crop yields in sandy soils and non-arable land. Its research and production facility in Abu Dhabi is expected to turn as the firm’s global production and distribution hub for the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia.

UAE-based RNZ has unveiled plans to establish an advanced R&D centre to research, formulate and commercialise a range of organic and inorganic agri-input solutions for vertical farms, hydroponics and conventional farms.

The company produces fully-customised crop specific blends, and exports its products to the South Asia, East Asia, Africa and the MENA region.

Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development chairman H.E. Mohammed Ali Al Shorafa said: “It is amazing to see the ‘desert-turn-green’ before our eyes. Our long-term goal as the Abu Dhabi Government is to not only support the development of Abu Dhabi’s knowledge-economy, but also to support the development of innovation that will contribute to solving challenges of regional and global importance.”

In March, The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) announced that it is providing Sudan with agricultural supplies worth AED40m ($10.8m) as part of the UAE’s support to the agricultural sector in the country.