GigaFarm construction begins at Dubai’s Food Tech Valley, heralding a new era in decarbonised food production, on a site capable of replacing 1% of the UAE’s food imports from just 900,000 sq ft of land
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – –: Project execution has officially commenced on an innovative decarbonised farm in Dubai Food Tech Valley, a master development launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and spearheaded by prominent Dubai property developer Wasl.
Groundbreaking took place at a ceremony attended by H.E. Dr. Amna bint Abdulla Aldahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, H.E. Dr. Mohammed Salman Al Hammadi, Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Jonathan Reynolds, The British Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Edward Hobart, The British Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Oliver Christian, The British Consul General to Dubai and HM Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and Pakistan, Rashed Mohammad, Chief Real Estate Officer of Wasl, Omar Al Maydoor, General Manager Lands Asset Management at Wasl, Ahmed Al Shaibani, Head of Food Tech Valley, Saeed Al Marri, Chairman of ReFarm, Oliver Christof, Chief Executive Officer of ReFarm, Andrew Lloyd, Chief Executive Officer of Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS).
Her Excellency Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, stated in this occasion: “The UAE is progressing in presenting a global model of food security based on innovation and strengthening efforts to build sustainable food and agricultural systems that drive development and build a better future for the nation and the world. The ‘Food Tech Valley’ initiative and its global partnerships supporting modern food and agriculture systems embody this direction.”
She added: “The UAE believes in collaboration to lay the foundations for sustainable food security both locally and globally, aiming to exchange experiences, knowledge, and technologies to create solutions for the food and agricultural challenges faced by our nation and the world, particularly those related to limited water resources and arable land. ‘Food Tech Valley’ plays a vital role in these efforts, which seek to increase local production of food and strategic crops by employing eco-friendly, climate-smart agricultural technologies, enabling us to meet domestic demand and achieve the goals of the National Food Security Strategy 2051.”
Dubai-based group ReFarm Global (ReFarmTM) and Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) joined to initiate the “GigaFarm” project, which will collocate six complementary technologies, establishing a self-contained closed-loop ecosystem designed to maximise resource efficiency and prevent any waste going to landfill. The GigaFarm project is being developed on a 900,000 sq. ft. plot at Food Tech Valley, a UAE-government-led initiative designed to address food security locally, regionally, and globally, and is a partnership between the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and Wasl.
The site will begin food production in 2025 and will be capable of growing more than three million kilos of produce annually when complete, using IGS smart AI-driven vertical farming technology. In addition, by diverting more than 50,000 tonnes of food waste from landfills each year through integrated waste-to-value and regenerative farming technologies, the GigaFarm will significantly advance the UAE’s efforts to decarbonise food production, offsetting 1% of the country’s fresh produce imports.
This pioneering project places Dubai Food Tech Valley at the forefront of sustainable agriculture, establishing a new benchmark for innovative, technology-driven and cost effective food production in the region.
HE Hesham Abdulla Al Qassim, Group CEO, Wasl said: “Food Tech Valley is a transformative project designed to build a resilient food ecosystem, decarbonise food production and contribute to global food security. Wasl has been working closely with all stakeholders to pioneer innovation at the project to fulfil this mission – and we are a step closer to making it a success. The project has attracted top agritech minds and companies since it was launched, underlining a shared commitment to safeguard the UAE’s food ecosystem for generations to come, as well as becoming a model for other nations to follow.”
UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds said: “Food security and climate change are global challenges – the best way to tackle these is by working together. That’s why I’m proud to see a UK company provide its vertical farming technology for the UAE’s innovative GigaFarm project. This remarkable endeavour demonstrates the ingenuity of our British innovators, so we can support the UAE’s strong commitment to regenerative farming, food waste decarbonisation and local food production.”
Oliver Christof, Chief Executive Officer at ReFarmTM , said: “Since we first unveiled the GigaFarm project during the COP28 conference last December, a huge amount of work has gone into transforming initial plans into a concrete, deliverable reality. Operating for more than one year from our initial facilities in Al Quoz, Dubai, we have showcased more than 60 varieties of crops, proven a variety of use cases for the various regenerative products, established regular supply of produce to key offtakers and diverted over 40 tonnes of food waste from landfills.
“None of this would have been possible without the proactive support of our local stakeholders, who have shown unwavering commitment, the Dubai and UAE governments, especially MOCCAE, the UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, and their dedication to shaping a legislative environment that allows for novel technology applications to be developed, adopted, and approved for use. We are thrilled to see the project take this significant step forwards as we work towards delivering a more sustainable future for the UAE’s food system and beyond.”
Andrew Lloyd, Chief Executive Officer of Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS), commented: “This project is a global first. It’s not just a large-scale standalone vertical farm site: Our technology has been integrated into the heart of a revolutionary circular system to deliver genuine change to global regenerative food security.
“Together with the ReFarm team, we would like to extend our gratitude to both the UAE and UK governments for creating a supportive ecosystem which has ultimately enabled this project to move from a concept to breaking ground in less than a year, building on the legacy of COP28. The months ahead promise to be transformational for IGS as we embrace both the challenges and opportunities presented by deploying our tech at GigaFarm scale.”
