ABU DHABI, 22nd September, 2023 (WAM) -- The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) joined hands to conduct an intensive workshop on the RuralInvest toolkit developed by FAO's Investment Centre.

The workshop aimed to assist countries in building the capacities of experts and technicians, enabling them to formulate plans and feasibility studies for small and middle-sized agrifood businesses that align with agricultural sustainability goals.

The eight-day capacity-building workshop was attended by 23 experts and technicians from ADAFSA.

This initiative was an integral part of developing the Master Plan for Sustainable Agriculture in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (MPSA), implemented by FAO to help ADAFSA promote sustainable agricultural practices and achieve the sustainability of the agricultural sector in the Emirate.

The participants were trained by experienced Ruralinvest trainers Marc Fantinet, FAO Senior Investment Support Officer and Luc Dubreuil, FAO Senior Ruralinvest trainer consultant.

The training focused on applying the RuralInvest tool developed by FAO since 1998 with the support of national and international development partners. This tool has been used across various regions, including Latin America, Africa, Central Asia, Asia, and North Africa, and now is being introduced to the UAE, in a significant step towards enhancing sustainable agrifood practices.

What is unique about this Agricultural sector-tailored tool is that it enables trainees to systematise and harmonise the way income-generating business plans are prepared and analysed across regions, ensuring that all essential aspects (technical, organisational, commercial, social, environmental, financial) are duly taken into consideration.

This would further strengthen project preparation, analysis and monitoring functions within the adopting institutions.

The integration of RuralInvest into the Master Plan provides a dual opportunity. Firstly, it supports the elaboration of typical business cases that will illustrate the sector's transformation. Secondly, it enhances the capacity of ADAFSA and other relevant institutions in business planning and advisory services to beneficiaries, with a clear intention to disseminate the Ruralinvest toolkit for use within ADAFSA daily operations.

Mubarak Al-Mansouri, Executive Director of the Agricultural Affairs Sector of ADAFSA and Dr. Markos Tibbo Dambi, Officer-in-Charge for day-to-day matters of FAO's Subregional Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council States and Yemen, handed over certificates to the participants at the culmination of the workshop.

As the eight-day training workshop concludes, participants will embark on a distance monitoring phase, during which they will develop real business cases based on the skills and insights gained during the training. A week-long follow-up session, scheduled after one month, will allow participants to share their experiences and insights gained through practical application.