The Challenges of Climate Change and Food Security in the United Arab Emirates (UAE): From Deep Understanding to Quick Actions

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 422-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahaf M. Ajaj ◽  
Suzan M. Shahin ◽  
Mohammed A. Salem

Climate change and global warming became a real concern for global food security. The world population explosion is a critical factor that results in enormous emissions of greenhouse gasses (GHGs), required to cover the growing demands of fresh water, food, and shelter. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a significant oil-producing country, which is included in the list of 55 countries that produce at least 55% of the world’s GHGs and thus involved in the top 30 countries over the world with emission deficits. At the same time, the UAE is located in an arid region of the world, with harsh environmental conditions. The sharp population increases and the massive growth in the urbanization are primary sources, lead to further stresses on the agricultural sector. Thus, the future of the food production industry in the country is a challenging situation. Consequently, the primary objective of this work is to shed light on the current concerns related to climate change and food security, through describing the implications of climate change on the food production sector of the UAE. Tailored solutions that can rescue the future of food security in the country are also highlighted.

Earth ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-71
Author(s):  
Dhurba Neupane ◽  
Pramila Adhikari ◽  
Dwarika Bhattarai ◽  
Birendra Rana ◽  
Zeeshan Ahmed ◽  
...  

Climate prediction models suggest that agricultural productivity will be significantly affected in the future. The expected rise in average global temperature due to the higher release of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere and increased depletion of water resources with enhanced climate variability will be a serious threat to world food security. Moreover, there is an increase in the frequency and severity of long-lasting drought events over 1/3rd of the global landmass and five times increase in water demand deficits during the 21st century. The top three cereals, wheat (Triticum aestivum), maize (Zea mays), and rice (Oryza sativa), are the major and staple food crops of most people across the world. To meet the food demand of the ever-increasing population, which is expected to increase by over 9 billion by 2050, there is a dire need to increase cereal production by approximately 70%. However, we have observed a dramatic decrease in area of fertile and arable land to grow these crops. This trend is likely to increase in the future. Therefore, this review article provides an extensive review on recent and future projected area and production, the growth requirements and greenhouse gas emissions and global warming potential of the top three cereal crops, the effects of climate change on their yields, and the morphological, physiological, biochemical, and hormonal responses of plants to drought. We also discuss the potential strategies to tackle the effects of climate change and increase yields. These strategies include integrated conventional and modern molecular techniques and genomic approach, the implementation of agronomic best management (ABM) practices, and growing climate resilient cereal crops, such as millets. Millets are less resource-intensive crops and release a lower amount of greenhouse gases compared to other cereals. Therefore, millets can be the potential next-generation crops for research to explore the climate-resilient traits and use the information for the improvement of major cereals.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 238-238
Author(s):  
M Raymond

Food security is a global issue. General acceptance of the UN prediction that the world must increase food production by at least 50% in the next 20 years, and at least 100% in the next 40. Climate change and water availability will make this extremely challenging.


Author(s):  
Natan Mikhailovich Rutkin ◽  
Oleg Yurievich Lagutkin ◽  
Lina Yurievna Lagutkina

The outlook of the development of world urban agrotechnologies ("city-farming") by means of key innovation technological and market trends analysis has been researched. It is noted that the tendencies to reduction of the area of productive lands, exhausting ecosystem resources, including World ocean resources, harmful consequences of the climate changing are the main limiting factors of the development of traditional agriculture and supplying food products to the growing population of the world. The remote territories of mass food production from the mass markets result in a large amount of waste products (food losses) in supply chains, along with decreasing product quality and raising costs. Growth of the world population, increasing concentration of urban citizens along with changing of consumers’ food preferences towards "health", "natural", "organic" food bring up the development of an additional, or alternate, system of uninterrupted supply or self-provision of cities with food products, ensuring future food security. The article highlights the prospect of developing the international branch of agriculture in terms of its transition to the high-tech stage of development ("AgTech"), and reviews the innovation technologies inseparable from that transition. It has been found that the development of the urban agrotechnologies (city-farming), as a combination of innovative high-performance agro-practices of the food production in urban environment, can step up the level of food security due to increasing food availability in qualitative and quantitative aspects. The review of main city-farming technologies in accordance with directions of its practical applications was done for the first time. The conception "urban agrotechnologies" ("city-farming") has been defined as the scientific term.


2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Dircke ◽  
A. Molenaar

In 2025 the majority of the world population will live in flood prone delta cities. Delta City Rotterdam, with one of the biggest ports in the world, is dealing with the consequences of climate change in a very pro-active and smart way, turning these challenges into opportunities. Rotterdam wants to become one of the global leaders in water management and climate change adaptation, by using new and smart technologies and protecting its citizens against the future impacts of sea level rise and intensified rainfall by making Rotterdam completely “Climate Proof” by 2025. And also by developing its old city ports area by adding attractive waterfronts and knowledge centers like the RDM Campus (Research, Design and manufacturing), where education of future generations is combined with innovative and sustainable development of businesses and sciences, and with experiencing best practices. One of the major innovative and smart solutions for climate change adaptation discussed in this paper is called “Smart Flood Control Rotterdam”, the development of a serious flood management game for Rotterdam. All this knowledge and experiences are shared with other Delta Cities of the world, in the C40 “Connecting Delta Cities” network.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Niels Dybro ◽  
Alan Christopher Hansen

Agribusinesses are investigating sustainable ways to meet the predicted increased demand for food production due to an increasing world population and higher living standards. Therefore, there is a strong need to increase agronomic output. This paper will review the current state of agricultural production of the main annual top-five staple grain crops grown around the world, their current yields and harvested area averages and trends. It concludes with a discussion of which changes are needed to increase the yield in lower yielding areas of the world. Finally, there is an assessment of what level of yield increases that could be attained provided the proposed changes are made and its predicted impact on food security by 2050.The current yield trends and trends for harvested area, when extrapolated out to 2050, indicate crop production will increase 106%. This includes an expansion of the total crop production area by 31%. This increase of cropping area can be achieved by increased utilization of available, uncropped land suitable for crop production, increased double cropping, and relay intercropping, allowing for multiple crops in a calendar year.In order to double crop production by 2050, it is necessary to focus on growing crops where the conditions make it possible, adopt the best sustainable crop production practices and implement them as intensively as possible everywhere, and consider improved crop production machine system options to reduce risk of soil compaction, which can reduce crop yields.With proposed changes across the world, it will be possible to exceed a doubling of food production by 2050 relative to 2005 levels, providing a reasonable high level of food security, absent wars and widespread natural disasters.


Author(s):  
Sunil Londhe

Many studies have demonstrated the sensitivities of crop yield to a changing climate, a major challenge for the agricultural research community is to relate these findings to the wider societal concern with food security. Apart from few exceptions, the likely impacts of climate change on agricultural sector in the future are not understood in any great depth. There are many concerns as to how changes in temperature, rainfall and atmospheric Carbon Dioxide concentrations will interact in relation to agricultural productivity. The present article is an attempt to distil about the likely effects of climate change on food security and nutrition in coming decades. The consequences of climate change on various important aspects of agriculture are discussed and summarized. The article also discusses the analysis on the possible mitigation measures and adaptations for agriculture production in the future climate change scenarios.


Author(s):  
Sunil Londhe

Many studies have demonstrated the sensitivities of crop yield to a changing climate, a major challenge for the agricultural research community is to relate these findings to the wider societal concern with food security. Apart from few exceptions, the likely impacts of climate change on agricultural sector in the future are not understood in any great depth. There are many concerns as to how changes in temperature, rainfall and atmospheric Carbon Dioxide concentrations will interact in relation to agricultural productivity. The present article is an attempt to distil about the likely effects of climate change on food security and nutrition in coming decades. The consequences of climate change on various important aspects of agriculture are discussed and summarized. The article also discusses the analysis on the possible mitigation measures and adaptations for agriculture production in the future climate change scenarios.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-112
Author(s):  
Percy M. Chimwamurombe ◽  
Charlie C. Luchen ◽  
Paidamoyo N. Mataranyika

With the Climate change effects becoming more and more undoubted in the world populations, the reality of food production trends taking a negative curve is clear. This bring up the questions of whether the farmers will be able to produce food for the sustenance of the world population or not? The rate of developing food shortage coping mechanisms in this regard is slower that the ravaging negative climate change effects of drought and floods on farm performance. This commentary has the aim of requesting a fresh discussion around the fundamentals of what is food, what is a food security and what is nutritional security? It is possible that the humanity has a perception that needs refocusing. This is a perception that some people may choose out of non-food safety issues not to eat certain foods while other however healthily eat such food. It therefore becomes hard to technically accept that food is in short supply for those the opt not to eat that which is edible.


Author(s):  
Lemma Abayneh Tumebo

All estimates suggest that by 2050, upto 50% increase in food production will be required to feed the world population. Wheat is the second most important crop after rice and by 2050, wheat production needs to be increased by 60% for socio-economic stability. However, the climate change induced global warming will have adverse effect on crop plants including wheat. To deal with the crop yield decrease influenced by global warming, an indepth study of heat induced morpho-physiological and molecular changes in wheat will result in better understanding of the plant. This review focuses on the impact of high temperature on the morphological, physiological, reproductive development and signaling in plants.


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