Abu Dhabi Agriculture launches fifth edition of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award

The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has launched the fifth edition of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award (2026–2027), during a press conference held in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

The press conference was attended by Mozah Suhail Al Muhairi, Chairwoman of the Award’s Supreme Committee; Ahmed Khalid Othman, Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Committee; and Mubarak Al Qasaili Al Mansouri, Chairman of the Committee for Accompanying Festivals and Competitions, along with representatives of supporting entities and members of the media.

The Supreme Committee announced details of the new edition, with total prize money of approximately AED10 million distributed across 13 main categories. The fifth edition introduces two new categories — Best Supporting Marketing Outlet and Agricultural Impact Maker.

The edition will also feature 97 accompanying competitions, compared with 77 in the fourth edition, representing an increase of 26 per cent. In addition, five festivals will be organised as part of the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba.

Mozah Suhail Al Muhairi, Deputy Director-General for Regulatory and Administrative Affairs at ADAFSA and Chairwoman of the Award’s Supreme Committee, said the award, held under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice-President of the UAE, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court and Chairman of ADAFSA’s Board of Directors, has become one of the UAE’s most important national initiatives supporting the development of the agricultural sector.

She said the award has also become a major platform for promoting a culture of excellence and innovation in crop and livestock production, enhancing the position of locally produced goods and strengthening the UAE’s food security system.

Al Muhairi said the fourth edition attracted more than 3,395 participants, while the award pavilion at Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba received more than 159,000 visitors.

She added that the fifth edition comes with a broader and more ambitious vision, with the award’s structure expanded to include 13 main categories covering crop and livestock production, alongside 97 accompanying competitions organised through five festivals at the award pavilion within Sheikh Zayed Festival.

The Supreme Committee has also introduced the two new categories — Best Supporting Marketing Outlet and Agricultural Impact Maker — in line with the UAE’s efforts to strengthen the role of the community and private sector in supporting food security.

Al Muhairi said the award’s community dimension had been strengthened this year in line with the UAE’s Year of the Family 2026, through initiatives encouraging community participation and highlighting the role individuals can play in supporting the country’s food security.

“We have been keen this year to strengthen the community dimension of the award, in line with the Year of the Family 2026, through initiatives that encourage community participation and highlight their role in supporting the country’s food security,” Al Muhairi said.

She added that the initiatives reinforce the message that agriculture is a shared national responsibility in which the efforts of institutions and individuals complement one another.

“Based on this commitment, we at the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority regard this award as a key pillar supporting the UAE’s efforts to achieve self-sufficiency and develop the agricultural economy. We also reaffirm that the fifth edition will mark a new milestone in strengthening the position of Emirati products locally, regionally and globally,” she said.

Al Muhairi said participation criteria and mechanisms had also been enhanced to meet the aspirations of various target groups, including farmers, livestock breeders and young entrepreneurs, as well as women farmers and livestock breeders.

The new edition places greater emphasis on encouraging innovation in agricultural and livestock production methods and assessing efficiency through sustainability-related indicators, including natural resource efficiency, water footprint, economic returns, innovation and digital transformation.

These measures are designed to support the requirements of smart and sustainable agriculture and align with modern international standards.

Ahmed Khalid Othman, Deputy Chairman of the Award’s Supreme Committee, said the fifth edition follows a comprehensive review of the award’s methodology and evaluation criteria to reflect the aspirations of the UAE’s leadership and Abu Dhabi’s position as an advanced hub for agricultural innovation and food security.

He said the award is adopting more precise criteria this year covering sustainability, production efficiency, the quality of agricultural practices and innovation in modern technologies.

“These criteria will enhance opportunities for positive competition among farmers and livestock breeders across the UAE,” Othman said.

He added that expanding participation to include new categories reflects the diversity of the emirate’s agricultural sector and provides young people, small-scale producers and outstanding women farmers with an opportunity to showcase their contributions and vital role in strengthening food security.

Othman said the 13 award categories represent important pillars of the food production system and embody ADAFSA’s vision of empowering farmers and producers while creating an environment that encourages innovation and recognises efforts contributing to the development of the UAE’s agricultural and food sectors.

Mubarak Al Qasaili Al Mansouri, Chairman of the Committee for Accompanying Festivals and Competitions, said the fifth edition is witnessing an unprecedented expansion in the number of competitions and accompanying activities, reflecting growing interest in the agricultural and food sectors and their vital role in supporting food security and sustainability.

The committee has approved 97 competitions this year, an increase of more than 26 per cent compared with the previous edition. They cover a wide range of agricultural and food production fields, including:

● 57 livestock competitions

● 7 crop competitions

● 14 food competitions

● 10 honey competitions

● 9 flower competitions

Al Mansouri said all competitions and accompanying activities will be held as part of Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba.

He described the festival as an important national platform for celebrating the UAE’s cultural identity and heritage, as well as an ideal opportunity to engage directly with the community and raise awareness of the agricultural sector’s role in people’s lives.

Five festivals to encourage consumers to support national products

The award pavilion will host five main festivals: Al Wathba Plant Festival, Al Wathba Livestock Festival, Al Wathba Food Festival, the Flower Festival and the Honey Festival.

The festivals aim to enhance community engagement with agricultural and food-related activities, showcase the quality and diversity of locally produced goods, and encourage consumers to support national products.

Al Mansouri reaffirmed that the award will continue to empower farmers and producers, promote innovation and strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading destination for the development of food security and sustainability systems.

The Supreme Committee has invited farmers, livestock breeders and commercial farms across the UAE to participate in the award and register between September 15 and December 15, 2026, through the official website: www.smaea.ae.

Those wishing to register or make enquiries can also contact the award by phone or WhatsApp at +971 54 289 3389.

The award will go through several integrated stages following the close of registration. The accompanying festivals and competitions will be held throughout Sheikh Zayed Festival, followed by a desk-based assessment of participation documents and field evaluations of shortlisted entries.

Specialised committees will conduct field visits to qualifying farms and livestock holdings, assessing them according to detailed criteria and specific conditions established by a technical committee comprising experts and specialists in crop and livestock production and agricultural innovation.

Following completion of the field evaluations, the results will be submitted for approval and the final winners confirmed, paving the way for an official closing ceremony in April 2027 attended by award participants and a number of officials and stakeholders from the agricultural and food security sectors.

The Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award has recorded strong participation throughout its first four editions. A total of 1,603 participants have taken part in the main award categories, with 196 winners recognised.

The fourth edition alone recorded 3,395 entries across the accompanying competitions, highlighting the expanding reach and growing impact of the award in supporting the UAE’s food security system and agricultural sustainability, and reinforcing its position as one of the country’s leading drivers of agricultural development and innovation.