Dana Global, the Abu Dhabi-based venture builder and investment platform, announces a new partnership with Singapore-based Temasek Holdings which has a majority stake in Rivulis. The group is establishing an innovative demo-farm to showcase sustainable farming solutions in extreme weather and arid environments at a cutting-edge demo farm in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi. This is to show how the smart farm tools of Rivulis can work during COP28, the UN-climate event.
Rivulis will showcase how farmers can benefit from using advanced micro irrigation and new climate farming models such as hydroponics, growing food in a water-nutrient medium, to address climate change, water scarcity, biodiversity loss and food security while bolstering sustainable livelihoods for growers.
This initiative introduces farmers on micro irrigation systems – producing more and better-quality crop yields even in harsh climates, while using less water, fertilizer, energy, and labor. Israel’s Netafim started the business of modern drip irrigation back in 1965 in the Negev desert, trying to grow crops in desert soil. Rivulis, was founded around that time too, and was known as Plastro until it was acquired by John Deere.
https://www.greenprophet.com/2023/09/history-promise-challenges-drip-irrigation/
The method is proven and Rivulis, a smart farm builder and consultant, aims to help growers transition to more sustainable farming.
Dana signed an MoU with Masdar City, the zero-waste city of Abu Dhabi, to build its first beta site
there. The beta site tests and showcases leading desert tech solutions for arid environments, water scarcity, greenhouse cooling, soil cultivation and regeneration, carbon sequestration, and resilient seed varieties.
Saudi Arabia-based RedSea farms is doing something similar in the Middle East using brackish water and seawater for growing food.
UAE is hosting the UN’s climate event COP28 this year so the Emirates are eager to show solutions they are implementing to address the threat of climate change to food production – particularly ones cultivated in the Middle East and Africa – and how these solutions can help feed a growing world population, vulnerable to hotter and more arid growing conditions.
While we aren’t a fan of the UAE buying 1/5 of Zimbabwe for carbon credits we are a fan of local initiatives they are taking food production.
Food security is inextricably linked to water security. Globally, agriculture accounts for 70% of the drain on freshwater resources – increasing up to 90% in harsh environments. Dana aims to encourage as many farmers and agricultural corporations as possible to use Rivulis systems as infrastructure for future water solutions. Just this month – we see how a simple addition of water meters can save farms in Morocco.
Nadine Benchaffa from Dana said: “We are proud of our choice to make the UAE a home for our activities in the MENA region. Our anchor in Masdar City will allow us to unlock unprecedented prospects for Agri-Tech innovation within the UAE’s rising and growing ecosystem.”
Richard Klapholz, CEO of Rivulis, said: “Rivulis, one of the world’s largest irrigation companies and a global irrigation and climate leader, has been spearheading the use of micro-irrigation for over 80 years and the systems that Rivulis has created are crucial for the uninterrupted supply of many of the foods we enjoy today.”
Established in 1966, Rivulis is headquartered in Israel and has 15 manufacturing and distribution facilities, 2,000 employees, 3 R&D Centers (Israel, California, and Greece) and multiple Design Centers around the globe.
::Rivulis
