ReFarm Global, IGS Break Ground on GigaFarm Project in Dubai

Dubai-based group ReFarm Global (ReFarm) and Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) have joined hands to break ground on GigaFarm, an innovative project being developed on a 900,000 sq. ft. plot at Food Tech Valley, a key UAE-government-led initiative.

A strategic partnership between the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and Dubai-based developer Wasl, the Food Tech Valley has been designed to address food security locally, regionally, and globally.

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 National Food Security Strategy 2051 goals.

A pioneering project, GigaFarm 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.

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.

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 groundbreaking ceremony was attended by senior officials including Dr Amna bint Abdulla Aldahak, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Dr Mohammed Salman Al Hammadi, Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, Jonathan Reynolds, British Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Edward Hobart, British Ambassador to the UAE, Oliver Christian, British Consul-General to Dubai, 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, CEO of ReFarm, Andrew Lloyd and Chief Executive of IGS.

Dr Al Dahak said 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.

Hesham Abdulla Al Qassim, the Group CEO of Wasl, said Food Tech Valley was a transformative project designed to build a resilient food ecosystem, decarbonise food production and contribute to global food security.

"We have 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," he added.

On the key project, Hobart 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," he stated.

Christof 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 a 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," he added.

Lloyd pointed out that this project was 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," he noted.

"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," said Lloyd.

"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," he added.