Grow more with less: Al Dahra chief plots global growth from the ground up

Arnoud van den Berg, group chief executive of Al Dahra, is a man on a mission: to turn one of the Middle East's leading agribusinesses into the world's largest irrigated farming platform.

From the company's headquarters in Abu Dhabi, Mr van den Berg is leading a strategy of expansion, technology adoption, and sustainable transformation rooted in the belief that feeding a growing world population must go hand-in-hand with preserving its natural resources.

“We've only just begun,” he tells The National in an interview. “We have the mandate, we have the capital, and we have the proof of concept. Now we are scaling.”

The company, which operates in more than 20 countries and manages approximately 150,000 hectares of land, has set its sights on tripling that figure to 500,000 hectares in the years ahead, with potential to go even further.

“The global market for agriculture is so vast that no one has more than a one per cent share,” Mr van den Berg says. “There's space to grow – and a real need.”

Regenerative Roots

At the heart of Al Dahra's growth strategy is a commitment to regenerative agriculture, a term Mr van den Berg admits lacks a definition, but one he is determined to help formalise. “Like the term 'organic' before it, regenerative farming needs a framework,” he says. “We are working with global organisations to define it clearly and apply it consistently.”

Al Dahra's version includes core practices such as no-tillage farming, reduced pesticide and fertiliser use, and long-term soil health management. These practices are not only environmentally responsible, Mr van den Berg says, but commercially smart. “Healthy soil gives you better yields, requires less water, and lowers input costs. It's a win-win.”

The company's newly updated sustainability report commits to farming 80 per cent of its land regeneratively by 2030. Today, it is at 35 per cent.

“We've set KPIs for every country we operate in,” he says. “It's no longer optional. Every market must contribute.”

Climate realities and data-driven farming

A global water risk assessment recently completed by Al Dahra has revealed startling regional variations and growing unpredictability.

“In 2024, we had more rainfall in southern Egypt than in Romania. That's unheard of,” Mr van den Berg says. “It shows how fast things are changing. You can't farm like its 1990.”

Precision and flexibility are key. Through investment in AI and farm management platforms, Al Dahra is building a digital infrastructure capable of tracking inputs, predicting weather shifts, and optimising planting schedules. For example, Mr van den Berg says that such AI models can predict whether planting a crop a week earlier or later can change yields by 10 per cent. “That's a 10 per cent increase in food with no increase in footprint.”

The company is launching a unified digital farm management system across its operations in Romania, Serbia, Egypt, and Morocco. It's a complex process that requires synchronising equipment, methodology, and mindsets. “First comes the philosophy,” Mr van den Berg says. “Then, the machinery.”

Strategic farming focus crucial in the UAE

Not all forms of agriculture make sense in the UAE, Mr van den Berg says. “I don't think it should be an objective for the UAE to do every potential form of agriculture.”

For instance, growing rice or bananas is, he says, not a good idea. It's not sustainable. “But we can pick the crops in the UAE that we can grow here. Well, for instance, vegetables in the green greenhouses, like potato tomatoes or cucumbers.”

Al Dahra quit its joint venture with Pure Harvest, a high-tech greenhouse operator, last year to refocus on its core competency: large-scale, irrigated, rotational farming.

The model is flourishing in countries such as Romania, where Al Dahra owns the largest contiguous farm in Europe, and Egypt, where desert land has been transformed into high yield, export-ready farmland.

“We see similar potential across Africa and Latin America,” Mr van den Berg says.

The company is now in discussions with 10 African governments for long-term land leases, aiming to build large-scale farms that can boost local food security. “Ninety-nine per cent of food in Africa is grown by smallholder,” he says. “But large-scale farming allows for capital investment, irrigation, and yields that are ten times higher. That's how you solve food insecurity.”

Latin America, by contrast, is viewed more as a platform for export. Al Dahra plans to acquire underperforming farms in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, and upgrade them with regenerative methods. “If we apply the regenerative practices that we typically do, we can upgrade the soils and have better yields. So we intend to invest to upgrade and bring these farms to full potential.”

Looking ahead to 2030

In five years, Mr van den Berg hopes, Al Dahra will be able to demonstrate that its strategy has delivered: tripling farmland, halving emissions, and a taking a major role is feeding the 25 per cent global population increase anticipated by 2050.

“We're not just growing crops,” he says. “We're growing a platform. One that is digital, sustainable, and global in scope. And if we succeed, we'll feed more people using less land, less water, and fewer resources.”