emirates7 - The festivals and accompanying competitions of the fourth edition of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Award for Agricultural Excellence, organised by the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), officially kick off today at the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba.
This prestigious award celebrates excellence and innovation across the agricultural and food sectors including local production and livestock development while recognising the vital role of farmers and livestock breeders in advancing sustainability and promoting resilient food systems throughout the United Arab Emirates.
These accompanying events form a pivotal part of the award, shedding light on the societal and creative dimensions of agriculture and food. They offer an interactive platform that connects producers with consumers and celebrates outstanding practices and local innovations.
The events include five major specialised festivals held within the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba. These festivals serve as integrated platforms to honor excellence across various agricultural and food domains, reflect the diversity of the UAE’s agricultural landscape, and provide the public with an engaging experience that blends knowledge, innovation, and culinary exploration.
Leading the lineup is Al Wathba Food Festival, which focuses on showcasing the quality of local food products and celebrates innovative Emirati initiatives in food processing. The festival features live cooking competitions, interactive showcases of emerging food startups, and awareness activities on smart packaging and effective marketing. It stands as an ideal platform to promote the national food identity and bolster consumer confidence in locally produced goods.
Al Wathba Agricultural Festival highlights the latest agricultural technologies adopted in the UAE and celebrates model farms that implement best practices in sustainability and production. The festival includes competitions for the best agricultural crops and demonstrations of technical innovations in irrigation and smart farming, offering farmers and enthusiasts a chance to explore cutting-edge agricultural solutions and exchange expertise.
Al Wathba Livestock Festival showcases the efforts of livestock breeders in the UAE and celebrates distinguished local breeds through live demonstrations and competitions for best animal production. These include detailed evaluations of quality, care, and nutrition, reinforcing the importance of this vital sector within the national food security framework.
Al Wathba Honey Festival celebrates the quality of Emirati honey, highlighting its diversity and unique characteristics through competitions for best production, packaging, and marketing. The festival introduces the public to the work of local beekeepers and encourages the adoption of sustainable practices in beekeeping and honey production.
Concluding the series is the Flower Festival, which wraps up the accompanying events of the fourth edition of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Award for Agricultural Excellence. It showcases local floral arrangements in innovative designs that merge natural beauty with agricultural creativity. The festival promotes the development of ornamental and environmental agriculture and offers participants the opportunity to compete in presenting the best floral designs, reflecting Emirati aesthetics and the growing interest in green spaces.
In addition to the specialised festivals, the fourth edition of the award features 77 accompanying competitions spanning all areas related to agriculture and food. These competitions target diverse segments of society, including farmers, livestock breeders, honey producers, and for the first time since the award’s inception youth participants, who have been allocated a dedicated competition. These contests align with the award’s vision to foster a culture of excellence, stimulate innovation, and enhance community engagement around food security and agricultural sustainability.
The competitions cover various categories, such as best local food product evaluating manufacturing quality, packaging, and marketing; best youth agricultural project highlighting entrepreneurial initiatives by young people in the sector; and best packaging design showcasing creativity in presenting agricultural and food products professionally and attractively. Additional categories include best awareness and promotional content, which encourages the creation of innovative media materials to raise public awareness, and children’s competitions designed to instill agricultural and food concepts in future generations through interactive and educational formats.
Al Wathba Food Festival is the first of the accompanying events to launch and serves as a national platform that brings together producers and consumers in an immersive experience aimed at strengthening the UAE’s food identity and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in food processing.
The festival enables participants to present their products to a broad audience and compete in live cooking, smart packaging, and food innovation contests. It also includes educational workshops on food safety, sustainable production, and effective marketing. This festival is a prime opportunity to spotlight the quality of Emirati products, build consumer trust, empower food sector entrepreneurs to grow their ventures, and engage in the agricultural and food innovation ecosystem championed by the award.
In this context, Mubarak Al Qusaili Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Festivals and Competitions Committee, emphasised that the festivals and accompanying competitions represent an extension of the award’s vision to instill the values of excellence and innovation, foster community engagement, and highlight success stories in the agricultural and food sectors. He noted that these events also encourage positive competition among farmers, livestock breeders, and local producers.
He further stated that Al Wathba Food Festival, in particular, embodies the spirit of interaction and creativity, reflecting the quality of Emirati products and their competitiveness in local and regional markets. He affirmed that organising these events is part of ADAFSA’s broader efforts to support the food security system, empower local producers, and promote a culture of excellence in the agricultural and food sectors, in line with the UAE’s national direction toward sustainability and innovation.
He added that the festival is a practical embodiment of the award’s mission to support local products and drive innovation in the food industry. He stressed that Emirati products deserve to be showcased and celebrated, and that the festival offers participants a valuable opportunity to engage directly with the public and present inspiring examples of projects that reflect excellence and sustainability.
He concluded by affirming that these events go beyond exhibition platforms they are a strategic step toward building a comprehensive ecosystem of community partnerships and opening new horizons for local entrepreneurs and producers to expand their businesses and amplify their impact, thereby reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading hub for agricultural and food innovation in the region.
The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) invites all citizens including farmers, livestock breeders, and young producers across the UAE to actively participate in these events by registering through the award’s official website: www.smaea.ae. These events offer a unique opportunity for recognition, development, and engagement in the UAE’s agricultural and food sustainability ecosystem.
This prestigious award celebrates excellence and innovation across the agricultural and food sectors including local production and livestock development while recognising the vital role of farmers and livestock breeders in advancing sustainability and promoting resilient food systems throughout the United Arab Emirates.
These accompanying events form a pivotal part of the award, shedding light on the societal and creative dimensions of agriculture and food. They offer an interactive platform that connects producers with consumers and celebrates outstanding practices and local innovations.
The events include five major specialised festivals held within the Sheikh Zayed Festival in Al Wathba. These festivals serve as integrated platforms to honor excellence across various agricultural and food domains, reflect the diversity of the UAE’s agricultural landscape, and provide the public with an engaging experience that blends knowledge, innovation, and culinary exploration.
Leading the lineup is Al Wathba Food Festival, which focuses on showcasing the quality of local food products and celebrates innovative Emirati initiatives in food processing. The festival features live cooking competitions, interactive showcases of emerging food startups, and awareness activities on smart packaging and effective marketing. It stands as an ideal platform to promote the national food identity and bolster consumer confidence in locally produced goods.
Al Wathba Agricultural Festival highlights the latest agricultural technologies adopted in the UAE and celebrates model farms that implement best practices in sustainability and production. The festival includes competitions for the best agricultural crops and demonstrations of technical innovations in irrigation and smart farming, offering farmers and enthusiasts a chance to explore cutting-edge agricultural solutions and exchange expertise.
Al Wathba Livestock Festival showcases the efforts of livestock breeders in the UAE and celebrates distinguished local breeds through live demonstrations and competitions for best animal production. These include detailed evaluations of quality, care, and nutrition, reinforcing the importance of this vital sector within the national food security framework.
Al Wathba Honey Festival celebrates the quality of Emirati honey, highlighting its diversity and unique characteristics through competitions for best production, packaging, and marketing. The festival introduces the public to the work of local beekeepers and encourages the adoption of sustainable practices in beekeeping and honey production.
Concluding the series is the Flower Festival, which wraps up the accompanying events of the fourth edition of the Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Award for Agricultural Excellence. It showcases local floral arrangements in innovative designs that merge natural beauty with agricultural creativity. The festival promotes the development of ornamental and environmental agriculture and offers participants the opportunity to compete in presenting the best floral designs, reflecting Emirati aesthetics and the growing interest in green spaces.
In addition to the specialised festivals, the fourth edition of the award features 77 accompanying competitions spanning all areas related to agriculture and food. These competitions target diverse segments of society, including farmers, livestock breeders, honey producers, and for the first time since the award’s inception youth participants, who have been allocated a dedicated competition. These contests align with the award’s vision to foster a culture of excellence, stimulate innovation, and enhance community engagement around food security and agricultural sustainability.
The competitions cover various categories, such as best local food product evaluating manufacturing quality, packaging, and marketing; best youth agricultural project highlighting entrepreneurial initiatives by young people in the sector; and best packaging design showcasing creativity in presenting agricultural and food products professionally and attractively. Additional categories include best awareness and promotional content, which encourages the creation of innovative media materials to raise public awareness, and children’s competitions designed to instill agricultural and food concepts in future generations through interactive and educational formats.
Al Wathba Food Festival is the first of the accompanying events to launch and serves as a national platform that brings together producers and consumers in an immersive experience aimed at strengthening the UAE’s food identity and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in food processing.
The festival enables participants to present their products to a broad audience and compete in live cooking, smart packaging, and food innovation contests. It also includes educational workshops on food safety, sustainable production, and effective marketing. This festival is a prime opportunity to spotlight the quality of Emirati products, build consumer trust, empower food sector entrepreneurs to grow their ventures, and engage in the agricultural and food innovation ecosystem championed by the award.
In this context, Mubarak Al Qusaili Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Festivals and Competitions Committee, emphasised that the festivals and accompanying competitions represent an extension of the award’s vision to instill the values of excellence and innovation, foster community engagement, and highlight success stories in the agricultural and food sectors. He noted that these events also encourage positive competition among farmers, livestock breeders, and local producers.
He further stated that Al Wathba Food Festival, in particular, embodies the spirit of interaction and creativity, reflecting the quality of Emirati products and their competitiveness in local and regional markets. He affirmed that organising these events is part of ADAFSA’s broader efforts to support the food security system, empower local producers, and promote a culture of excellence in the agricultural and food sectors, in line with the UAE’s national direction toward sustainability and innovation.
He added that the festival is a practical embodiment of the award’s mission to support local products and drive innovation in the food industry. He stressed that Emirati products deserve to be showcased and celebrated, and that the festival offers participants a valuable opportunity to engage directly with the public and present inspiring examples of projects that reflect excellence and sustainability.
He concluded by affirming that these events go beyond exhibition platforms they are a strategic step toward building a comprehensive ecosystem of community partnerships and opening new horizons for local entrepreneurs and producers to expand their businesses and amplify their impact, thereby reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading hub for agricultural and food innovation in the region.
The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) invites all citizens including farmers, livestock breeders, and young producers across the UAE to actively participate in these events by registering through the award’s official website: www.smaea.ae. These events offer a unique opportunity for recognition, development, and engagement in the UAE’s agricultural and food sustainability ecosystem.