Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Municipality (MoM) has launched a project to develop 'protected farms' and climate-smart agriculture aimed at converting open farm areas into closed farms to reduce evaporation, water loss and overcome soil issues.

The project will be implemented as part of the Knowledge Sharing Porgramme (KSP) by Qatar and South Korea in coordination with Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), Hyundai Research Institute and Plant Farm company.

Addressing the launch ceremony held in Doha yesterday, Director of Food Security Department at the Ministry of Municipality Dr. Masoud Jarallah Al Marri said that the project comes within the framework joint cooperation with the Republic of Korea.

He said that the project aims to assess climate changes that may affect food production in Qatar. Necessary measures will be proposed to mitigate these effects, which include, for example, increasing production efficiency and efficient use of resources by using modern agricultural practices.

“The project includes developing crops with the ability to resist drought, high temperatures and humidity levels. It will include activities for assessing climate change that may affect food production and assessing the state’s preparedness,” said Al Marri.

He said Qatar can benefit from successful experiments in South Korea. “Workshops will be held for capacity-building and proposing appropriate solutions and recommendations,” said Al Marri.

He commended the response of the institutions and companies implementing the project by providing researchers and experts with information the latest technology.

“This will help in coming up with suitable recommendations to determine the appropriate technology to improve and develop agricultural food production, reduce negative impacts on the environment and to adapt to climate change,” said Al Marri. Speaking to the media persons on the sidelines of the event, Al Marri said that Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) seeks to share Korean technologies and finance projects through which it identifies the challenges facing countries.

“The Ministry chose the project to address agricultural challenges, climate change, and limited natural resources through modern techniques,” said Al Marri. Through this project, he said that the challenges of agriculture in Qatar will be identified by holding discussion with stakeholders including farmers and companies for developing solutions and recommendations.

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