January 2018

For Media Enquiries

Mrs. Dima Al-Kahhale

Communication and Outreach Liaison

  • comms@biosaline.org.ae
  • +971 4 304 63 45
  • H.E. Mariam Almheiri and H.E. Sarah Al Amiri toured ICBA’s research facilities accompanied by Professor Abdulrahman Sultan Alsharhan, Chairman of ICBA’s Board of Directors, Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, ICBA’s Director General, and Ms. Seta Tutundjian, Director of Partnerships and Knowledge Management Division.
    H.E. Mariam Almheiri and H.E. Sarah Al Amiri toured ICBA’s research facilities accompanied by Professor Abdulrahman Sultan Alsharhan, Chairman of ICBA’s Board of Directors, Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, ICBA’s Director General, and Ms. Seta Tutundjian, Director of Partnerships and Knowledge Management Division.
  • H.E. Mariam Almheiri and H.E. Sarah Al Amiri visited the net-house facility, which according to studies consumes 32 times less energy than the common model of greenhouse with a fan-pad cooling system.
    H.E. Mariam Almheiri and H.E. Sarah Al Amiri visited the net-house facility, which according to studies consumes 32 times less energy than the common model of greenhouse with a fan-pad cooling system.
  • H.E. Mariam Almheiri and H.E. Sarah Al Amiri visited the integrated farming system at ICBA’s experimental station as part of EXPO2020 Dubai project.
    H.E. Mariam Almheiri and H.E. Sarah Al Amiri visited the integrated farming system at ICBA’s experimental station as part of EXPO2020 Dubai project.
  • H.E. Mariam Almheiri and H.E. Sarah Al Amiri also visited the Emirates Soil Museum, a unique facility managed by ICBA.
    H.E. Mariam Almheiri and H.E. Sarah Al Amiri also visited the Emirates Soil Museum, a unique facility managed by ICBA.
  • H.E. Mariam Almheiri and H.E. Sarah Al Amiri also visited some demo plots at ICBA.
    H.E. Mariam Almheiri and H.E. Sarah Al Amiri also visited some demo plots at ICBA.
  • H.E. Mariam Almheiri and H.E. Sarah Al Amiri at another demo plot.
    H.E. Mariam Almheiri and H.E. Sarah Al Amiri at another demo plot.

UAE state ministers for advanced sciences, food security visit ICBA to mull cooperation

23 January 2018

Her Excellency Mariam Bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of State for Future Food Security, and Her Excellency Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences, paid a special visit recently to the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) to learn about the center’s advances in and contributions to agricultural science and technology.

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  • Halfa grass was last spotted by scientists during their expedition to the coastal areas of Ras al-Khaimah in 2007.
    Halfa grass was last spotted by scientists during their expedition to the coastal areas of Ras al-Khaimah in 2007.
  • Thanks to the scientists’ efforts, the grass has been preserved at ICBA’s experimental fields and can be used for reintroduction to the wild.
    Thanks to the scientists’ efforts, the grass has been preserved at ICBA’s experimental fields and can be used for reintroduction to the wild.

ICBA saves UAE’s rare plant from likely extinction

20 January 2018

A team of scientists from the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) has saved Halfa grass, a rare plant species in the UAE, from possible extinction. Scientifically known as Desmostachya bipinnata, the plant is a rhizomatous perennial grass which is important for stabilizing soils. It can be used as fodder and for medicinal purposes.

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  • ICBA and other project partners kicked off the quinoa project during a meeting attended by senior officials, including the Ethiopian minister of state for agriculture, at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Morocco, on 12 January 2018.
    ICBA and other project partners kicked off the quinoa project during a meeting attended by senior officials, including the Ethiopian minister of state for agriculture, at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Morocco, on 12 January 2018.
  • The project will run from 2018 to 2020 and will be implemented in collaboration with the Mohamed VI Polytechnic University and several other partners.
    The project will run from 2018 to 2020 and will be implemented in collaboration with the Mohamed VI Polytechnic University and several other partners.

ICBA launches new project to boost quinoa production in Morocco

12 January 2018

As part of its global quinoa program, the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) has recently launched a new project to mainstream the crop among poor rural farming communities in Morocco.

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