ABU DHABI, 13th February, 2023 (WAM) — The Organising Committee of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award continues to evaluate the 348 applications for the Award. The applicants include farmers, livestock breeders and commercial farms from across the UAE.
The Award has three main categories – the first for outstanding farmers and breeders, the second for agricultural innovation, and the third for commercial farms.
About 484 individuals participated in the competitions that were hosted by the Award as part of the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba, bringing the total number of individuals who participated in the Award and its accompanying competitions to 832 from the UAE and GCC countries.
The Evaluation Committee, formed by the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, first conducts a comprehensive review of the applications for the Award to check their compliance with the basic requirements of the Award. This is followed by the field evaluation stage, during which crop, livestock and commercial farms are visited for a field evaluation to cross-check the facts and information submitted in the documents and application.
The evaluation process and identification of qualified candidates for each category is expected to be completed by the end of February. The technical and field evaluation is carried out for the three categories of the award.
The Outstanding Farmer and Breeder Category covers eight sub-categories. Four awards will be given to crop production-related sub-categories, including the Best Farm in Open Field Cultivation, the Best Farm in Greenhouse Cultivation, the Best Farm in Fruit Production, and the Best Organic Farm. The other four awards will be given to animal production-related sub-categories, including Productive Farm, Small-Scale Producers, Beekeepers, and Aquatic Farms.
The Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award is a ground-breaking initiative that supports and encourages distinguished farmers and livestock breeders in the UAE. The Award’s total value is AED6.7 million, with 56 contests for productive farm owners, livestock breeders, beekeepers, aquaculture, and commercial farms across the UAE, in addition to associated contests in various farming fields.
The Award aims to emphasise the leading role of the UAE in stimulating sustainable agriculture and innovation and highlight the keenness of the wise leadership to honour outstanding farmers and breeders, in addition to honouring those who support the UAE's efforts towards achieving global leadership in food security.
It also aims to motivate farmers and breeders in various Emirates and encourage them to adopt best practices and follow modern farming systems and to promote a spirit of positive competition between farmers and breeders to support food security, stimulate innovation efforts in the field of plant and animal agriculture and food production, in addition to enshrining the concepts of agricultural sustainability and developing community awareness of food security issues.
Several competitions are organised in conjunction with the "Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award", as part of the events of Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba, including contests for the best dates produce, the best breeds, the milk competition, a weekly livestock auction, in addition to competitions and live cooking shows using local farm and date products.