Field Days

Overview

Climate change poses major risks to future global food security and nutrition. Drought and other weather extremes and environmental factors exacerbated by climate change are forecast to impact agriculture and reduce yields of staple crops such as wheat, rice, and maize. But agrobiodiversity holds great potential for mitigating such threats to agriculture in different parts of the world as there are many forgotten and neglected crops which are more tolerant of biotic and abiotic stresses and have better nutritional profiles.

The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Dr. José Graziano da Silva, and Director General of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, signed two landmark agreements today, expanding existing cooperation between the two institutions on plant genetic resources, biosaline agriculture and

More than 100 leading farmers, agri-businesses, senior officials and representatives of different government entities from across the UAE today visited a major one-of-a-kind showcase of tailor-made agri-solutions at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) in Dubai.

The open day was aimed at presenting to local farmers, agri-businesses and other stakeholders a wide range of agri-technologies and crops that had been developed, tested and proven by ICBA and its partners to perform well in local conditions.

ICBA will organize an Open Day for stakeholders in the UAE on April 20, 2016. The Open Day will provide an opportunity to learn about research innovations at ICBA and the Center's work in marginal environments. Participants from the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment will tour ICBA's facilities, including the Soil Museum, laboratories, the Integrated Aqua-Agriculture System, the SCADA system, experimental fields.

ICBA will organize an Open Day for stakeholders in the UAE on April 20, 2016. The Open Day will provide an opportunity to learn about research innovations at ICBA and the Center's work in marginal environments. Participants will tour ICBA's facilities, including the Soil Museum, laboratories, the Integrated Aqua-Agriculture System, the SCADA system, experimental fields.

The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) is collaborating with the Abu Dhabi Farmers’ Services Centre (ADFSC) to sustain farm productivity in the Western Region of Abu Dhabi by introducing salt-tolerant and water-use efficient alternative forages, following the ban on planting Rhodes grass. As part of this collaboration, ICBA has successfully established three model farms at Ghayathi, Mezaira’a and Madinat Zayed with salt-tolerant forage grasses such as Distichlis, Paspalum and Sporobolus spp., and shrubs such as Acacia ampliceps and Atriplex spp.

The future of food security is a crucial global challenge and more so in marginal environments. Quinoa is seen as one of the most promising crops towards future food and nutritional security. This is mainly due to the fact that quinoa seeds are highly nutritious, making them a preferred food source for a healthy and balanced diet. In addition, quinoa leaves are useful as feed, which increases this crop’s potential.