Project execution has officially commenced on an innovative decarbonised farm in Dubai Food Tech Valley, a master development launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and spearheaded by Dubai property developer Wasl.
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Dubai-based group ReFarm Global and Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) joined to initiate the “GigaFarm” project, which will collocate six complementary technologies, establishing a self-contained closed-loop ecosystem designed to maximise resource efficiency and prevent waste going to landfill.

“Since we first unveiled the GigaFarm project during the COP28 conference last December, a huge amount of work has gone into transforming initial plans into a concrete, deliverable reality,” noted Oliver Christof, chief executive officer at ReFarm. “Operating for more than one year from our initial facilities in Al Quoz, Dubai, we have showcased more than 60 varieties of crops, proven a variety of use cases for the various regenerative products, established regular supply of produce to key offtakers and diverted over 40 tonnes of food waste from landfills.
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The GigaFarm project is being developed on a 900,000 sq. ft. plot at Food Tech Valley, a UAE-government-led initiative designed to address food security.
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The site will begin food production in 2025 and will be capable of growing more than three million kilos of produce annually, using IGS vertical farming technology. In addition, by diverting more than 50,000 tonnes of food waste from landfill each year through integrated waste-to-value and regenerative farming technologies, the GigaFarm will advance the UAE’s efforts to decarbonise food production, offsetting one percent of the country’s fresh produce imports.
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“This project is a global first. It’s not just a large-scale standalone vertical farm site: our technology has been integrated into the heart of a revolutionary circular system to deliver genuine change to global regenerative food security,” said Andrew Lloyd, IGS chief executive officer.
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