Forum highlights woman’s role in agricultural entrepreneurship

Mariam Hareb Almheiri, Minister of State for Food Security, opened the “Agricultural Entrepreneurship Forum” organised by Ajman Business Women Council (AJBWC), which is part of the Ajman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI).

The virtual forum was held under the slogan, “How to start my agricultural project and contribute to reinforcing food security,” in cooperation with the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture, ICBA.

In her speech during the first part of the forum on the UAE and its role in women’s economic empowerment with an emphasis on entrepreneurship in agriculture, Almheiri, said, “Due to the significant support of the UAE’s leadership, Emirati women are fully capable of playing an efficient role in creating a sustainable future for the country, not only in the area of food security but in all vital sectors.”

She added that the efforts of Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, GWU, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, FDF, have always supported Emirati women. “Due to Sheikha Fatima’s work, women have become key partners in the development process, and entrepreneurship is among the key sectors in which Emirati women are contributing,” she further added.

Stressing that this is the best time for Emirati women to invest in agriculture, Almheiri stated, “The UAE has prioritised this sector to ensure our food security, and we have considerable confidence in women and female entrepreneurs who can drive the process of positive transformation in the food sector and create a global model of agriculture in the UAE. I am confident that the Ajman Business Women Council can play a major role in this area.”

The UAE, due to its full readiness and the substantial support of its leadership, has managed to overcome the effects of the COVID-19 crisis, which has affected many vital sectors around the world, including agriculture and food, she noted.

“We have learnt from our leadership that with every crisis there is an opportunity, and the coronavirus pandemic has had a positive effect on this sector, due to the drafting of plans to ensure food security. Modern agricultural technologies are among our key future priorities, and we plan to increase the use of these technologies and agricultural investments based on these technologies,” she said.

“As a body responsible for enhancing food security and through the cooperation with all entities within the UAE, we will strive to provide full support to upgrade the capabilities and expertise of entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector and to provide solutions that ensure the prosperity of their businesses,” Mariam Al Muhairi added. She further pointed out that the UAE was able to overcome the effects that were associated with the repercussions of the crisis of COVID-19 pandemic, which led to major impacts on many vital sectors in the world, including the agriculture and food sector.

“As we learned from our wise leadership that every crisis generates an opportunity, the crisis of Corona virus has had a positive impact on the sector, as it forced us to develop plans to ensure food security,” she said.

The modern agricultural technology is promising a prosperous future, she added, noting that the agricultural investment, which is based on such technologies should be expanded.

The agricultural technology possesses many solutions to the agricultural challenges in the UAE, especially water scarcity, she said.

She also explained that in order to continue in this field, it is necessary to support entrepreneurship in this sector, and to involve women in this system by creating a new generation of women entrepreneurs who believe that investment in this sector is guaranteed and is a future trend for the UAE and the world.

She said, “From here, the need to increase the activities of SMEs in the agricultural sector emerges, and unlike in the past, agricultural investment is no longer limited to the need to own a huge farm at a great cost, but with the development of modern agricultural technology, women entrepreneurs can invest in innovation-based agriculture. “ Keeping pace with the country’s directions and future plans

For his part, Abdullah Al Muwaiji congratulated Mariam Bint Al Muhairi on reappointing her as the Minister of State for Food and Water Security, and thanked the teamwork led by Dr Amna Khalifa Al Ali on organising the forum.

He stressed the importance to keep pace with the UAE’s directions and future plans, saying, “Today’s forum is of a particular importance due to its close association with the strategic file of the UAE, and today we all participate to shed light on the file of food security and the mechanisms to support the agricultural sector by simulating entrepreneurs in this field.”

Al Muwaiji also praised the history of agriculture in the UAE and the stories of successes experienced by it, which started and developed by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He was always keen to support farmers and to harness all the possibilities for them, and so our wise leadership would continue the support and development of the agricultural sector, alongside fish wealth and livestock, Al Muwaiji added.

WAM/Agencies