With the attendance of 54 farmers and experts in the Date Palm cultivation sector, and representing 12 Arab countries

Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation organized a virtual lecture, presenting “Horticultural intensification Sustainability, to meet the Arab agricultural challenges”, by Dr. Sharif ALSharbasi, International expert in Date Palm cultivation and production, Former Director of the Date Palm Central Laboratory, The Arab Republic of Egypt, on Wednesday the 9^th of December, 2020. The lecture was attended by 54 participants, representing 12 countries, among which are members of the Date Palm Friends Society in the UAE, date palm farmers, and Agricultural experts.

This virtual lecture held via Zoom, comes under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, President of the Award’s Board of Trustees, and within the Award’s framework and commitment to spread the scientific knowledge and awareness on the Date Palm Best Practices, and providing technical and scientific advice and support to farmers to help them improve the Dates quality. Dr. Abdelouahhab Zaid, the Award’s Secretary General, expressed his appreciation to the extended scientific and professional efforts made by the international date palm expert, Dr. Sharif Al Sharbasi, in increasing the growth and development rates of the food industry. Pointing out that the Arabic dates are eligible to compete internationally, where some have already achieved advanced rankings in the global date palm market. Thanks to a set of factors, where one of the most important factors is the full application of good agricultural and manufacturing practices which will in return increase the value of Arabic dates.

From his side, Dr. Sharif ALSharbasi presented during the lecture that the Arab world is currently facing an increasing great challenge in food resources, due to several factors, where one of the most important factors is the increase in population and the decrease in water resources, this is in addition to the negative effects of climate change, and the decline of agricultural areas,  which raised the need to create a new global agricultural system to ensure that the agricultural production meets the growing demand. This is achieved by vertical expansion through the use of agricultural intensification development (crop - horticultural - animal): through the modification of different agricultural transactions to increase productivity. Utilizing the unit area and increasing the economic return, utilizing the land and water resources and modifying the surrounding climate, preserving the environment, soil fertility, increasing organic substances and retaining its moisture.

Agricultural intensification is the increase in agricultural production in all fields (plant, animal and fish production). Sustainable intensification aims to improve the use and management of resources, produce more crops for the same area of ​​land, and by using fewer inputs while increasing production, while not negatively affecting the environment. Crop intensification is the exploitation of all available resources to increase crop productivity per unit area of ​​land. When agricultural intensification is followed, the crop area exceeds the field area at a certain time.

Dr. AlSharbasi also presented some of the most important factors to consider when conductinghorticultural intensification, such as planting more than one crop on the ground. It is also preferable for the horticultural or field species selected for cultivation to be compatible and not in competition. Taking into account that the distances between the two are suitable for carrying out agricultural operations for each type without affecting the other. Finally, tree breeding and pruning operations must be carried out using the new technology without affecting their construction.

Dr. Sharif ALSharbasi then concluded the lecture by highlighting the great role played by the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation in supporting and developing the date palm cultivation sector and the date production worldwide, through the organizing Jordan International Date Palm Festival, Sudan International Date Palm Festival, and Egypt International Date Palm Festival and the accompanying activities and events. Which actively contributed to the increase the reputation of the Arab dates and the volume of exports, in addition to the series of international conferences organized by the Award’s General Secretariat for over twenty years.