Country agriculture profile · Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates farms at the margins of what its hyper-arid climate allows: there are no perennial rivers, arable land is minimal, and cultivation depends on groundwater and desalinated water under intense heat and salinity pressure. Date palms at oases such as Al Ain and Liwa are the country’s signature crop and a cultural mainstay, while field agriculture is limited and increasingly supplemented by controlled-environment methods — greenhouses, hydroponics, and vertical farms — aimed at producing fresh vegetables locally. Camels, goats, and sheep are kept for heritage, meat, and milk, alongside intensive poultry and dairy units dependent on imported feed. As one of the most food-import-reliant countries in the world, the UAE frames domestic production largely as a food-security and agri-technology objective rather than a route to staple self-sufficiency.
Farming systems (stable overview)
Climate zones
- Hot desert (hyper-arid)
- Coastal humid arid
Agroecological zones
- Coastal desert plain
- Interior oases (Al Ain, Liwa)
- Hajar Mountain foothills
Dominant crop systems
- Date palm cultivation at oases
- Controlled-environment horticulture (greenhouse, hydroponic, and vertical farming)
- Limited irrigated field vegetables and fodder
- Amenity and heritage tree planting
Major livestock systems
- Dromedary camel keeping for heritage, meat, and milk
- Goats and sheep on limited rangeland
- Intensive poultry and dairy units using imported feed
Irrigation: With no perennial surface water, irrigation relies on groundwater and desalinated water, and water scarcity is the fundamental limit on domestic production.
Latest verified data
Each value is the most recent available observation, shown with its own year and unit. Figures are periodically revised — treat them as dated, sourced statistics, not evergreen facts.
| Indicator | Value | Unit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural land | 5.52 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Arable land | 0.71 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Agriculture value added | 0.77 | % of GDP | 2024 |
| Food production index | 124.86 | index (2014–2016 = 100) | 2022 |
| Irrigated agricultural land | 23.99 | % of agricultural land | 2023 |
| Average precipitation | 78 | mm per year | 2022 |
| Rural population | 14.18 | % of total population | 2024 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12
Commodity market data
4,168 official observations across 59 commodities. Figures are shown on each commodity page with the unit, status and release its source published.
| Commodity | Metrics recorded |
|---|---|
| Almonds | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Avocados | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Bananas | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Barley Grain | Domestic use, Feed use, Imports, Exports, Export value, Import value |
| Black Peppercorns | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Buckwheat Grain | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Cashew Nuts | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Chickpeas | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Cocoa Beans | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Cotton Lint | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Cottonseed | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Cowpeas | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Cucumbers | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Dates | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Dried Chillies | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Dried Tobacco Leaf | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Dry Beans | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Dry Bulb Onions | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Dry Peas | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Flax Fibre | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Flaxseed | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Fresh Apples | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Fresh Oranges | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Fresh Pineapples | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Fresh Strawberries | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Fresh Tomatoes | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Green Coffee | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Groundnuts | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Hazelnuts | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Head Cabbage | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Hemp Fibre | Imports, Import value |
| Hen Eggs | Production, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Jute Fibre | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Lentils | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Maize Grain | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Milled Rice | Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Imports, Exports, Export value, Import value |
| Millet Grain | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Oat Grain | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Pigeon Peas | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Pistachios | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Rapeseed | Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Exports, Imports, Export value, Import value |
| Raw Cow Milk | Production, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Raw Wool | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Rice Paddy | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Rye Grain | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Safflower Seed | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Sesame Seed | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Sorghum Grain | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Soybeans | Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Exports, Imports, Export value, Import value |
| Sugar Beet | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Sugarcane | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Sunflower Seed | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Sweet Potatoes | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Tea Leaf | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Vanilla Beans | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Walnuts | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Ware Potatoes | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Wheat Grain | Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Exports, Feed use, Imports, Export value, Import value |
| Yams | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
Cereal yield over time
Show data table
| Year | kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 12,112.2 |
| 2013 | 36,761.9 |
| 2014 | 14,238.4 |
| 2015 | 35,291.3 |
| 2016 | 33,396.5 |
| 2017 | 30,801.8 |
| 2018 | 20,853.3 |
| 2019 | 23,842.3 |
| 2020 | 18,982.7 |
| 2021 | 19,809.2 |
| 2022 | 20,369.8 |
| 2023 | 23,306.5 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12
Derived indicator
Arable land as a share of agricultural land: 12.9 % of agricultural land (2023)
Derived value — formula arable-share-of-agricultural-land v1.0.0 (calc v1). Inputs: AG.LND.ARBL.ZS (0.7) ÷ AG.LND.AGRI.ZS (5.5). A derived ratio, not an observed statistic. Sensitive to rounding and to differing revision cycles of the two source series; omit rather than extrapolate when a common year is unavailable.
Documented crops & livestock
Agricultural institutions
- Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) — Federal ministry responsible for agriculture, food security, water, and the environment.
- Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) — Emirate-level authority regulating and supporting agriculture and food safety in Abu Dhabi.
Data coverage & limitations
Covered by the World Bank WDI snapshots for land, production, yield, economy, inputs, and environment indicators, compiled largely from FAO and national sources.
| Layer | Status | What is held |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural authorities | Covered | 1 record |
| Official registries | Not yet indexed | — |
| Compliance requirements | Not yet indexed | — |
| Support programmes | Not yet indexed | — |
| Biosecurity listings | Not yet indexed | — |
| Variety registrations | Not yet indexed | — |
| Input authorisations | Not yet indexed | — |
| Extension resources | Not yet indexed | — |
| Market statistics | Covered | 286 records |
| Soil survey observations | Not yet indexed | — |
| Border requirements | Not yet indexed | — |
| Farm economics figures | Not yet indexed | — |
| Climate, drought and water values | Covered | 67 records |
This page describes what AgricultureID has indexed, not what exists. A layer shown as not yet indexed means nobody has looked, and never that the thing is absent in that country. How coverage is worked out.
- Agricultural statistics are dated, versioned, and periodically revised; always read them together with their observation year and dataset version.
- National statistical definitions — of agricultural land, irrigated area, holdings, and livestock categories — differ between countries and over time, which limits strict cross-country comparison.
- Domestic output covers only a small share of food consumed, so national production figures say little about the country’s overall food supply, which is dominated by imports.
- A large and growing part of production comes from controlled-environment and desalination-dependent systems whose water use and cost are not captured by land-area indicators.
Sources
This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.
- Authoritative
Cited for: Agricultural statistics (WDI)
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- [2]FAO — Food and Agriculture Organization (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Cited for: Production systems, irrigation, and food-balance context
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12