Abu Dhabi to cultivate world's largest indoor farm

In a bid to boost the nation's food security, plans are underway to build the world's largest indoor farm in Abu Dhabi.

The project is a joint Emirati-Dutch venture between RainMakers Capital Investment LLC and GrowGroup IFS.

GreenFactory Emirates will develop the farm which aims to produce 10,000 tonnes of fresh produce annually on a 17.5-hectare plot with an advanced indoor system from the Netherlands.

Crops will be cultivated in an area spanning 160,000 square metres, while a combination of vertical and flat farming will be used to solve the typical restrictions of growing produce in extreme regional climates like the UAE.

The farm aims to save 95 per cent of water consumption as well as reduce its Co2 footprint up to 40 per cent.

The first phase of the project is due to start operating next year.

Commenting on the venture, Mariam Hareb Almheiri, UAE's Minister of State for Food Security, said ‘AgTech’ has a hugely important role to play.

Almheiri added that the government aims to generate a 30 per cent yield improvement from technology-enabled production and the nation wants to become a world-leading hub in innovation-driven food security by 2051.

She said, "Indoor farms such as GreenFactory Emirates are instrumental in helping us reach these goals."