DUBAI,
2023 (WAM) — Dr. Tarifa Al Zaabi, Director-General of the International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), said that from 2024, the centre will begin assessing the implementation rates of initiatives launched during the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in the areas of empowering women and youth in the agricultural sector.
The ICBA has launched an initiative to empower a million women in agriculture across several countries worldwide, she added.
Al Zaabi told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that the ICBA is hosting more than ten events during COP28 that cover food security, empowering women and youth in agriculture, global climate action, land and ocean utilisation, food and water systems, and skills.
She then explained the ICBA’s work on improving food security and nutrition, enhancing water security and environmental sustainability, and providing job opportunities and resources in marginal environments and regions facing salinity issues, water scarcity, and droughts, among other global challenges.
She also noted that one of the main challenges facing women in the agricultural sector is the fact that while 43 percent of women, especially those in rural areas, work in agriculture, there is a lack of financial support, and in many countries, women do not own the agricultural lands they work on.
“The initiative targeting the empowerment of a million women in the agricultural sector aims to find solutions and shape international decisions to enhance women’s investments in agricultural lands, elevate their skills, and provide them with crops,” Al Zaabi said.
She then talked about the ICBA’s launch of a millet demo farm in Dubai, highlighting the high tolerance of the crop to salinity, temperature fluctuations, and changing climatic conditions.
She noted that COP28 is promoting collaborative efforts to support food security, whether in terms of reclaiming deteriorating land or creating solutions that support climate change mitigation, while commending relevant initiatives led by the UAE, in collaboration with international partners, to support scientific research for practical results and solutions.
Al Zaabi highlighted the Genebank established by the ICBA as a fundamental reference for research and experiments conducted on thousands of local and imported plant species and houses various seed varieties, especially those that have become endangered due to climate change.
The Genebank houses over 16,000 plant strains from some 300 plant species, representing more than 150 countries and regions around the world, which helps empower women as they can plant these crops and launch agricultural projects, she said in conclusion.
