September 2021

As a joint venture between ICBA and BGI, the world’s largest genomic research institution, the Desert Life Science Laboratory (DLSL) will help to fast-track the discovery and development of food and other crops suited to marginal environments, that is agroecosystems constrained by a range of factors such as water scarcity, soil and water salinity, heat and drought, among others.

H.E. Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment of the UAE, said: “The Desert Life Science Laboratory is a vital initiative and one that is a significant addition to the UAE’s food security efforts, as enshrined in the country’s National Food Security Strategy 2051. Increased desertification as a result of climate change is expanding marginal environments, so finding crops with a food value that can not only tolerate but thrive in these environments is a strategic priority.”

The 2021-2022 cohort comes from different backgrounds and countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the program aims to encourage diversity and inclusion and enable fellows to exchange their perspectives and experiences.

The current edition began with a four-day online workshop hosted by ICBA on 20-23 September 2021. The workshop was launched by Dr. Tarifa Alzaabi, Acting Director General of ICBA, in the presence of Mr. Victor Kommerell, Program Manager, CGIAR Research Programs on Maize and Wheat.

Attending the virtual workshop, H.E. Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, UAE Minister of State for Food and Water Security, said that it represented a significant step in evaluating novel methods in a multidisciplinary approach towards enhancing food security, through adopting an approach to developing government policies based on research, development and scientific evidence.