ADAFSA has announced the launch of the second round of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award

The second round of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award has begun, and it is being sponsored by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Presidential Court, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA). The value of the Award has been increased to AED 10 million, which will be distributed among competitors in the primary Award categories, competitors in a number of related events held as part of the "Sheikh Zayed Festival" in Al Wathba, and competitors in several festivals held in conjunction with the Award. The Award seeks to promote both plant and animal agriculture while honouring exceptional UAE farmers and livestock producers.

The Award will emphasise their critical contribution to ensuring food security, agricultural sustainability, and raising the standard of local production. It also attempts to encourage farmers and animal breeders to engage in healthy competition.

There are four primary categories for the prize. For renowned farmers and breeders, there are eight subcategories in the first category. The Best Farm in Open Field Cultivation, The Best Farm in Greenhouse Cultivation, The Best Farm in Fruit Production, and The Best Organic Farm will each get one of four honours. The remaining four prizes will go to subcategories involved in animal production, such as Productive Farm, Small-Scale Producers, Beekeepers, and Aquatic Farms. Two prizes are given out in the agricultural innovation category, one for crop production and the other for animal production. Two prizes are given out in the Commercial Farms Category, one for commercial crop production and the other for commercial animal production.

This year's edition contains a number of supporting competitions in addition to the main Award categories, including the best product of dates, best manufacturing items from palm, best fruit basket of the home, best fig basket, and best Sidr fruits contests. There will also be a live cooking competition, a contest for the best animal and marine food processing, a contest for the best dairy product, livestock competitions, and a competition for media outlets and social media influencers in the field of promoting and raising awareness of the agricultural sector in the United Arab Emirates.

Diverse festivals, organised as part of the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba, will complement the Award's activities. These festivals include the Fig Festival, Almond Festival, Strawberry Festival, Sidr Festival, Corn Festival, Local Aquaculture Farms Products Festival (Our Farms Fish / Desert Fish), Traditional Food Festival for Productive Families, Agricultural Inputs Festival, and Dairy Products Festival - Factories Category.

On November 30, 3023, registration will be closed and the technical and field evaluation phase will start. A qualified technical committee of specialists and technicians in agriculture, including plant and animal, as well as agricultural innovation, will visit qualified farms to evaluate them in accordance with the Award's criteria and requirements. Following the approval of the preliminary evaluation findings, the finalists will be revealed. The Award ceremony honouring the winners will be held in February 2024 with participation from all participants.

The Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Agricultural Excellence Award seeks to showcase the UAE's pioneering position in fostering sustainable agriculture and innovation as well as the eagerness of the Wise Leadership to recognise exceptional farmers and breeders. The Award also honours ADAFSA's accomplishments in the areas of food and biosecurity, agricultural sustainability, and both. All small-scale farmers, breeders, and commercial farmers in the UAE are invited by ADAFSA to sign up as soon as possible to compete in the Award and win its great prizes by completing the online registration form on the Award's website, www.smaea.ae.