Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), ADAFSA has announced on Tuesday the launch of the second round of the Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award.
The award’s value has been increased to Dh10 million divided among participants in the main award categories.
Sustainability
The award aims to stimulate the agricultural sector, both plant and animal, while also recognising outstanding UAE farmers and livestock breeders.
The award will highlight their crucial role in achieving agricultural sustainability, food security, and elevating the quality of local production. Additionally, it aims to foster a spirit of positive competition among farmers and livestock breeders.
Dr Mariam Hareb Al Suwaidi, Deputy Director General for Operational Affairs and Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee of the Award, expressed her deep gratitude and appreciation for the generous increase in the Award’s value to Dh10 million.
During a press conference held at ADAFSA’s headquarters, she stated that the second edition of the award features an increase in prize values and the introduction of a new category within the award’s categories this year, along with 9 diverse festivals and 21 contest across 62 associated competitions.
4 Categories
The award has been divided into four main categories.
The first category featuring eight subcategories for distinguished farmers and breeders.
Four awards will be given to crop production-related subcategories, 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 subcategories, including Productive Farm, Small-Scale Producers, Beekeepers, and Aquatic Farms.
The Agricultural Innovation Category features two awards, the first for crop production and the other for animal production. Meanwhile, the Commercial Farms Category features two awards, one for commercial animal production, and the other for commercial crop production.
She also highlighted the new category introduced within the award’s categories in the second edition, dedicated to recognising outstanding women among plant farmers and livestock breeders.
This category includes two awards, one for the best distinguished female farmer and the other for the best distinguished female livestock breeder. Its purpose is to support and spotlight the role and efforts of women in the agricultural sector and their contribution to enhancing the food security system.
Participants
In the first round of the Award, a total of 348 participants from various emirates joined in the competition across the three main categories of the award. Out of the total number of participants, 227 competed in the plant category while 121 participated in the animal category.
ADAFSA invites all small-scale farmers, breeders, and commercial farmers in the UAE to promptly register to participate in the Award and compete for its valuable prizes, through the registration form on the website of the Award www.smaea.ae For any enquiries, individuals can contact the Award organisers via phone or WhatsApp at (+97154 289 33 89).
