Five water challenges affecting sustainable agriculture in the UAE
Given the UAE has low annual rainfall and around 2tr litres of fresh water are used across the country per year, the pressure on natural water resources is abundantly clear
As the UAE prepares to celebrate the start of Expo 2020 Dubai, one of the main themes of the event is ‘sustainability’.
The region faces significant challenges in protecting natural water resources and sustainably producing food. Here I highlight some of the main water challenges facing UAE agriculture.
Scarcity of fresh groundwater reserves
Around half the water used in the UAE comes from fresh groundwater. Over the past 50 years as the country has grown, its fresh water supplies have severely depleted. With demand outstripping the rate at which fresh water resources can replenish from rainfall, there is extreme pressure.
The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi reported in June 2021 that up to 91 percent of agriculture and forestry in the Emirate is irrigated via groundwater annually.
To emphasise just how much these fresh groundwater reserves have depleted, a team of experts researched the Quaternary Aquifer, one of the main UAE reserves. Between 1969 and 2015, the volume of fresh groundwater decreased from 238 trillion litres of water to just 10tr litres.
Given the UAE has low annual rainfall and around 2tr litres of fresh water are used across the country per year, the pressure on natural water resources is abundantly clear.
Increasingly salty groundwater
When too much fresh water is drawn from the ground, saltwater migrates landward by a process known as saltwater intrusion. In the Middle East, studies demonstrate that this creates brackish water in the aquifers. Brackish water has a higher salinity level than fresh water but lower than you would find in seawater.
Around half the water used in the UAE comes from fresh groundwater.
As groundwater becomes more saline, farmers have to dig deeper wells and use stronger pumps, so drawing this water comes with a considerable cost. The problem for sustainable agriculture is that many crops, such as rice, wheat and pulses are sensitive to salinity.
The UAE National Food Security Strategy 2051 has set out goals to decrease reliance on foreign imports, including staple foods like rice. As such, we must protect the quality of fresh water as this could have a bearing on the types of agriculture that can be supported through natural resources.
Unsustainable impact of desalination plants
Can agriculture irrigated by desalinated water truly be considered sustainable? Desalination plants use extreme amounts of energy and produce large amounts of brine, which if pumped back into the oceans, can negatively impact coastal ecosystems.
While innovations in technology can reduce many of these environmental impacts, desalination is also expensive in comparison to other water sources.
Desalination plants use extreme amounts of energy and produce large amounts of brine.
Potential issues with using treated water for agriculture
Another proposed way of reducing the demand for groundwater is by using treated wastewater for irrigation. However, there are a number of concerns that treated wastewater may have a ‘multitude of long-term implications on soil productivity and public health’.
It could potentially include the contamination of the food chain with micropollutants, pathogens or medicines including antibiotics. In addition, the availability of treated water will never be enough to sustain the agricultural sector.
Inefficient irrigation techniques
The simplest ways to reduce the amount of water being used in agriculture is to reduce inefficiencies in irrigation. Traditional surface bubbler systems (water pipes on top of the soil surface) are used for different types of agriculture in the region. However, with such high temperatures in the region, a huge amount of water is lost to evaporation.
In date palm farming alone, around a trillion litres of water is unnecessarily wasted every year by watering at the surface. One way that can increase efficiency is to use subsurface irrigation, which drastically reduces evaporation losses and delivers water to the root zone of plants.
Through smart irrigation technology, farms can reduce their water consumption by up to 60 percent and become more sustainable.
Conclusion
Investing in cheaper forms of water saving are key to a sustainable agricultural future for the region. While more cost-effective desalination is an important step in terms of water supply, reducing water usage through intelligent irrigation can heavily reduce the demand required from the agricultural sector.
Patrick Stevens, co-founder and managing director of UAE-based agritech business Terraplus Solutions.
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By Patrick Stevens
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Five water challenges affecting sustainable agriculture in the UAE
Given the UAE has low annual rainfall and around 2tr litres of fresh water are used across the country per year, the pressure on natural water resources is abundantly clear
As the UAE prepares to celebrate the start of Expo 2020 Dubai, one of the main themes of the event is ‘sustainability’.
The region faces significant challenges in protecting natural water resources and sustainably producing food. Here I highlight some of the main water challenges facing UAE agriculture.
Scarcity of fresh groundwater reserves
Around half the water used in the UAE comes from fresh groundwater. Over the past 50 years as the country has grown, its fresh water supplies have severely depleted. With demand outstripping the rate at which fresh water resources can replenish from rainfall, there is extreme pressure.
The Environment Agency Abu Dhabi reported in June 2021 that up to 91 percent of agriculture and forestry in the Emirate is irrigated via groundwater annually.
To emphasise just how much these fresh groundwater reserves have depleted, a team of experts researched the Quaternary Aquifer, one of the main UAE reserves. Between 1969 and 2015, the volume of fresh groundwater decreased from 238 trillion litres of water to just 10tr litres.
Given the UAE has low annual rainfall and around 2tr litres of fresh water are used across the country per year, the pressure on natural water resources is abundantly clear.
Increasingly salty groundwater
When too much fresh water is drawn from the ground, saltwater migrates landward by a process known as saltwater intrusion. In the Middle East, studies demonstrate that this creates brackish water in the aquifers. Brackish water has a higher salinity level than fresh water but lower than you would find in seawater.
As groundwater becomes more saline, farmers have to dig deeper wells and use stronger pumps, so drawing this water comes with a considerable cost. The problem for sustainable agriculture is that many crops, such as rice, wheat and pulses are sensitive to salinity.
The UAE National Food Security Strategy 2051 has set out goals to decrease reliance on foreign imports, including staple foods like rice. As such, we must protect the quality of fresh water as this could have a bearing on the types of agriculture that can be supported through natural resources.
Unsustainable impact of desalination plants
Can agriculture irrigated by desalinated water truly be considered sustainable? Desalination plants use extreme amounts of energy and produce large amounts of brine, which if pumped back into the oceans, can negatively impact coastal ecosystems.
While innovations in technology can reduce many of these environmental impacts, desalination is also expensive in comparison to other water sources.
Potential issues with using treated water for agriculture
Another proposed way of reducing the demand for groundwater is by using treated wastewater for irrigation. However, there are a number of concerns that treated wastewater may have a ‘multitude of long-term implications on soil productivity and public health’.
It could potentially include the contamination of the food chain with micropollutants, pathogens or medicines including antibiotics. In addition, the availability of treated water will never be enough to sustain the agricultural sector.
Inefficient irrigation techniques
The simplest ways to reduce the amount of water being used in agriculture is to reduce inefficiencies in irrigation. Traditional surface bubbler systems (water pipes on top of the soil surface) are used for different types of agriculture in the region. However, with such high temperatures in the region, a huge amount of water is lost to evaporation.
In date palm farming alone, around a trillion litres of water is unnecessarily wasted every year by watering at the surface. One way that can increase efficiency is to use subsurface irrigation, which drastically reduces evaporation losses and delivers water to the root zone of plants.
Through smart irrigation technology, farms can reduce their water consumption by up to 60 percent and become more sustainable.
Conclusion
Investing in cheaper forms of water saving are key to a sustainable agricultural future for the region. While more cost-effective desalination is an important step in terms of water supply, reducing water usage through intelligent irrigation can heavily reduce the demand required from the agricultural sector.
Patrick Stevens, co-founder and managing director of UAE-based agritech business Terraplus Solutions.
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