Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative Tests UAE Innovations to Reduce Agricultural Water Consumption

Two UAE-based companies, CRETA Group and Raincatcher Technologies, are testing technologies designed to reduce water consumption in greenhouse cooling and agricultural irrigation as finalists in the Al Miyah Challenge for Agriculture, launched by the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative.

The solutions focus on two major sources of agricultural water consumption: cooling greenhouses in high-temperature environments and water loss in sandy soils. Both technologies are being evaluated through field trials in the UAE, with potential applications in existing agricultural infrastructure.

CRETA Group has developed a greenhouse climate-management system that combines underground heat exchange, engineered airflow, pressure management and thermal storage to reduce dependence on conventional water-intensive cooling systems.

Unlike traditional greenhouse cooling, the system focuses on regulating temperatures around crops rather than cooling the entire greenhouse uniformly.

The company is currently testing the technology at a 520-square-meter pilot facility in Al Ain, where summer temperatures can approach 50°C.

According to CRETA Group, the pilot has recorded air-temperature reductions of approximately 12–15°C, alongside cooling-related electricity consumption 30–40% below conventional systems.

The system is designed to maintain crop-zone temperatures between 28°C and 32°C during peak summer while targeting an 85–90% reduction in cooling-water consumption compared with conventional fan-and-pad cooling systems. However, these water-saving figures remain design targets rather than final measured results from the Al Ain pilot.

CRETA Group estimates that initial installation costs are approximately 20–30% higher than conventional greenhouse systems, although reduced water and electricity consumption could lower operating costs over time. Its underground infrastructure is designed to last more than 20 years.

Meanwhile, Dubai-based Raincatcher Technologies has developed a biodegradable soil treatment that stores irrigation water near plant roots and gradually releases it as the soil dries.

The technology combines superabsorbent polymers and nutrients, which are injected into the soil using specialized equipment. The formulation is designed to reduce water loss through drainage and evaporation, particularly in sandy soils.

According to the company, a published trial conducted at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) in Dubai involving 27 date palms achieved an 85% reduction in irrigation water use.

In the trial, treated date palms were irrigated once every seven days, compared with daily irrigation for untreated palms, with moisture sensors used to guide irrigation.

A separate sweet-corn trial at Silal Innovation Oasis in Al Ain recorded approximately 20–25% lower water consumption in treated plots compared with untreated plots.

Raincatcher Technologies also reported water savings of 40–85% in field trials conducted in Türkiye, Morocco and Kyrgyzstan over five years, alongside yield increases ranging from 20% to more than 90% under water-stressed conditions.

The company estimates treatment costs, including the product and injection, at approximately US$7 per date palm annually, US$5 per orchard tree and US$600 per hectare for field crops.

The treatment can be used with existing irrigation systems and is designed to remain effective for one to three growing seasons, depending on the crop. According to the company, the material degrades over approximately seven years on average.

Both solutions are being assessed as part of the Al Miyah Challenge for Agriculture, which focuses on identifying and testing technologies that can improve water efficiency in agricultural production.

The field trials will help evaluate their performance under UAE conditions, including extreme temperatures, sandy soils and varying irrigation requirements, as efforts continue to reduce agricultural water consumption and support more resource-efficient food production.