Scientists in Dubai Make Seeds and Edible Plants Fit for the Desert Heat

A team of scientists based in the United Arab Emirates are on a mission to improve food security in one of the world’s hottest regions, nurturing crops that could feed populations in what they call “marginal environments”.

Arab countries, namely from the Gulf, have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in organizations like the Dubai-based International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), hoping to reduce their dependence on imports and gain security in growing local staple grains that withstand the warming planet.

“Marginal environments are going to be the norm of tomorrow, so we’d better be ready for it and have solutions,” says Moroccan plant geneticist Ismahane Elouafi, director-general of ICBA and one of few women leading agricultural science and research in the Arab world.