The shift toward smart agriculture has become an increasingly important requirement to strengthen food security, improve production efficiency, and ensure the long-term sustainability of the country's agricultural sector, several specialists and farm owners have stressed.
They said technologies such as controlled-environment greenhouses, hydroponics, vertical farming, automated irrigation, and artificial intelligence can help farmers produce more on limited land while using less water, energy, fertiliser, and pesticides.
These technologies can provide more predictable production cycles, allowing farms to plan output around market demand and supply fresh local produce year-round. The push comes as Qatar places greater emphasis on sustainable domestic production under its National Food Security Strategy 2030, launched in December 2024.
The strategy identifies increased domestic production through modern and sustainable technologies as one of its three main pillars, alongside strategic reserves and diversification of external food sources. The country has been developing precision-agriculture solutions designed to give farmers access to technology that improves growing conditions, reduces operational costs and utility consumption, and provides government agencies with consolidated data for crop planning and food-security contingency planning.
Dr Rashid al-Kuwari, a businessman specialising in the agricultural sector, said smart farms are important for ensuring the long-term stability of both production costs and crop quality. The model requires suitable farm infrastructure and the adoption of smart systems, including artificial intelligence that can monitor crop quality, growth periods, and temperature while identifying areas where resources can be conserved.
Further, remote production-monitoring systems and AI can allow farmers to adjust agricultural inputs in real time, reducing the use of water, fertilisers and pesticides. Such systems can also generate reliable production data, helping farmers plan output more accurately and policymakers assess domestic production and food-security levels.
He noted that better production planning would allow local farms to respond more closely to market requirements, improve the balance between domestic and imported products and contribute to greater price stability for consumers.
However, he cited the high initial investment cost, relatively narrow profit margins in the local market and the limited availability of specialised infrastructure and technical service providers as major obstacles to wider adoption.
Abdullah Mohamed al-Kaabi, Executive Director of a farm, said the need to adopt smart-farming systems in Qatar has become increasingly urgent, pointing to his farm's experience as evidence of their ability to improve resource efficiency and reduce operating costs. His farm operates more than 15 greenhouses, some combining conventional and modern approaches, while a significant proportion of its production relies on vertical towers and hydroponic systems. The farm also produces a range of crops, including cucumbers, tomatoes, and leafy vegetables, most of which are grown hydroponically. These systems increase productivity, reduce water losses, and allow the farm to maintain more consistent production.
Al-Kaabi said adopting smart farming solutions would maintain more consistent quality and availability year-round, with the potential for greater retail price stability over the medium and long term.
Meanwhile, government-backed agricultural initiatives have highlighted greenhouse farming's ability to increase production, conserve water, and provide vegetables year-round.
Abdulrahman al-Obaidan, a farm owner, described smart farming as an essential step for Qatar's agricultural sector, especially given the country's limited water and energy resources. He said reducing waste in water, energy, and fertiliser is central to lowering production costs and ensuring farms remain profitable.
Smart systems can also increase output per square metre, allowing farmers to supply fresh, consistent local produce while reducing dependence on imported products. The combination of greenhouses, hydroponics and vertical farming can transform agricultural production from a vulnerable seasonal model into a more continuous, year-round system.
He underlined the potential of indoor farming using artificial lighting, which can give producers greater control over planting, harvesting and delivery schedules and enable them to respond more precisely to consumer demand. Moreover, failing to expand smart agriculture carries its own economic cost through excessive water consumption, crop losses, declining farm profitability, and weaker competitiveness for local producers.
The National Food Security Strategy 2030 seeks to increase domestic production through modern technologies, improve agricultural land productivity, and strengthen the resilience of food supply chains.