The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) and the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) agreed to work together to develop a suite of innovative tools for bolstering the resilience of the UAE’s food system.

Under a cooperative agreement signed by Dr. Tarifa Alzaabi, Acting Director General of ICBA, and Professor Mohamed Salem, President of UOWD, the two institutions will carry out a joint project aimed at providing policymakers with a holistic analytical framework for monitoring and assessing a wide range of factors impacting on food security at the national, regional and global levels.

Harnessing the power of big data, the project will produce, among other things, a platform for evidence-based policymaking and a system for assessing vulnerabilities and responding to risks to food security.

As part of the project titled “Resilient agrifood dynamism through evidence-based policies” (READY), ICBA and UOWD will also formulate policies and actions to help make the country’s food system more resilient to supply shocks and disruptions. Moreover, the project will design a dedicated knowledge portal and a database, as well as create a set of scenarios and models.