The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has launched a strategic project with the aim of developing a platform to integrate food security and agricultural data. The project has been launched in collaboration with relevant stakeholders from the public and private sectors.

It will provide access to integrated, comprehensive and accurate data of Abu Dhabi's agricultural and food sector to stakeholders. The platform will also guide decision-making in the sector using the best data governance practices.

Saeed Al Bahri Al Ameri, Director-General of ADAFSA, stated that the data platform is a step forward to achieving the key priorities of the Authority to ensure food availability and safety and promote sustainable agricultural development in Abu Dhabi.

Al Ameri underlined that the platform supports the development of a sustainable, flexible and integrated food system built with the support of a rapid response system. It will effectively address food and biosecurity risks, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of local products in the market.

Al Ameri explained that the data platform will feature an integrated dashboard that will monitor the local, regional and global food security situation to support decision-makers' response to food, livestock and agricultural emergencies. It will also ensure early interference to prevent disruptions in the supply chain and avoid any potential food risks.

"The platform will cover all data of the agricultural and food sector in Abu Dhabi, along with some relevant data at the federal and global levels. Therefore, the platform will provide comprehensive insights about agricultural production, trade, logistics, environment, weather, biosecurity and food safety, which promotes Abu Dhabi’s position in this important sector," he added.

According to the official, data fragmentation and absence of a clear data governance model hamper the provision of relevant information to predict and resolve threats and develop plans for emergencies.

He also appreciated various public and private entities for collaborating with ADAFSA to develop the platform, underlining the significance of their future role in ensuring the provision of accurate and comprehensive data for the sector.

The data platform will collect and monitor all data related to agriculture and food security, including local agricultural production, trade, investment, food reserves, food loss and waste rates throughout the value chain. At the same time, the platform will continuously monitor relevant data on livestock and plant health, pest control programmes, and vaccination programmes aimed at preventing communicable and zoonotic diseases. After collecting the necessary data, the platform will provide information, analytical reports and forecasts to boost the response to food and biosecurity challenges. The response will be based on actionable insights for effective outcomes.

The data platform will also provide scientific forecasts on the production, consumption, supply and demand of food commodities to enable accurate analysis of self-sufficiency levels in the country. It will take place by conducting comparisons of local production to consumption along with monitoring strategic food reserves and analysing pricing strategies of various domestic and global products.

There is an alert system on the platform to allow decision-makers to develop the required plans to address various local, regional and global food risks. The alerts will be activated when there are any changes in the production level of global or local products, prices, weather conditions and diseases among other factors that could potentially impact local or global supplies.

SOURCE: WAM

LINK: https://www.wam.ae/en/details/1395303037189