UAE launches AI platform to protect date palm varieties

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has unveiled a new digital platform designed to catalogue and safeguard the country’s diverse date palm varieties, harnessing technology to serve a sector long shaped by tradition.

The “UAE Digital Platform for Date Palm Varieties”, announced on Monday, brings together a nationwide database powered by artificial intelligence to document the genetic diversity of date palms and support long-term sustainability efforts.

Developed through a collaboration between the Zayed For Good Foundation, the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, and the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, the platform is the first integrated and intelligent database of its kind in the country.

Speaking at a press conference in Abu Dhabi, Dr Abdulwahab Al Bukhari Zayed, Secretary-General of the award, said the initiative represents a shift in how agricultural knowledge is managed, moving towards a unified, digital system that serves researchers, farmers and policymakers alike.

Rather than a static archive, the platform functions as an interactive system. It uses artificial intelligence to identify and analyse date varieties, supported by thousands of images and digital records. This will enhance research capabilities and improve agricultural planning, while helping to preserve a national resource that includes more than 130 recognised varieties.

Mehana Obaid Al Muhairi, Deputy Director-General of the Zayed For Good Foundation, said the project builds on the legacy of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, linking environmental stewardship with technological progress.

He added that the platform creates new opportunities for knowledge-sharing, not only within the UAE but across the region and internationally, strengthening the country’s role in advancing sustainable agriculture.

Work on the platform took around three months, Al Muhairi said, with a focus on meeting international standards and ensuring it can serve users both locally and abroad.

Mubarak Ali Al Qaseeli Al Mansoori, an adviser at the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority, said the platform provides advanced analytical tools to support decision-making and help address key agricultural challenges, including climate change and pests such as the red palm weevil.

By integrating artificial intelligence into crop identification and data analysis, the system is expected to improve resource management and contribute to national food security goals.

The platform offers users access to detailed and regularly updated information on date varieties, including physical characteristics, productivity, nutritional value, and cultural and economic uses. The data is drawn from a wide network of sources  from government entities and research institutions to farmers and verified to ensure accuracy.

The project is set to reshape how agricultural knowledge is preserved and shared, while boosting the global competitiveness of Emirati dates through a more structured and accessible information ecosystem.

The initiative is being supported by a team of international experts led by Dr Abdullah Wehbi, a specialist in date palm cultivation and former representative of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.