The Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has approved a list of 71 economic activities that can be conducted on agricultural lands. The aim is to promote sustainable farming development, while diversifying the sources of income for farmers.
The approved activities include recreational and tourism ventures, such as holiday homes, to support the tourism sector and promote the UAE’s cultural heritage. The list of economic activities is divided into four categories, with 21 activities related to the plant sector, 24 to the animal sector, 18 to the food sector, and eight recreational activities, particularly holiday homes.
H.H. Sheikh Mansour, who is also the Minister of the Presidential Court and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), hopes that these activities will promote the cultural development of the agricultural sector in Abu Dhabi.
“ADAFSA is working to diversify the economic activities that can be carried out on farms to consolidate the food security system and increase local plant and animal production, in addition to promoting agri-tourism to benefit from the recreational activities available at many of the crop and livestock farms in the emirate of Abu Dhabi,” Saeed Al Bahri Al Ameri, Director-General of ADAFSA, said.
ADAFSA has established regulations that stipulate the construction limit and requirements for economic activities carried out on agricultural lands. If there is a primary licensed plant or animal activity on the farm, the permissible limit for the construction of economic activities should not exceed 30% of the total farm area. It is important to note that these economic activities can only be carried out by the farm owner, and the trade license must be issued in the name of the farm owner.
