University of Wollongong in Dubai and Plantagon Establish Urban Agriculture Framework

The University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) is partnering with Swedish firm Plantagon, an “agritecture” firm, to set up an Urban Agriculture Research Center in Dubai in order to create a framework for developing innovative urban agriculture and business solutions for urban development and smart city strategies in the UAE and specifically Dubai. The University of Wollongong will offer expertise in supply chain management, marketing management, quality management, engineering services, ICT and big data solutions for smart cities in coordination with Plantagon’s industry experience in infrastructure-integrated and resource-efficient urban food systems.

“As an innovation company, Plantagon believes that strategies for innovative food production play a great role in the development of smart cities, and will be a fundamental for all development in the future. We also see that more research is vital in this area. We hope that Plantagon’s experience will be an asset in this important and much needed partnership in a very forward-thinking part of the world,” said Owe Pettersson, CEO of Plantagon International AB.

“Urban farming is a prerequisite for any city claiming to be sustainable. It goes beyond producing food and connects the necessities and security of food, energy and water what is referred to as FEW nexus. We at Enspire are proud to be part of the collaboration between Plantagon and the University of Wollongong in Dubai to create a research hub here in Dubai,” commented Mr Soud Baalawy, Board member of Plantagon Agritechture and Executive Chairman of Enspire.

Professor Mohamed Salem, President of UOWD stated, “this partnership is a huge step forward for the university as we are able to use our strengths to contribute significantly to the development of smart cities in the UAE and the region, adding value to the establishment of sustainable communities.”