Satellite monitoring for date palm groves, irrigated forage, vegetable farms and city trees, planned around the tight water budgets of a desert country.
Book a demoSee the 14 products
Farming in United Arab Emirates
Farming in the UAE is small in area and intensive in method. It is concentrated in a few places: the desert and oasis farms around Al Ain and Liwa in Abu Dhabi emirate, the vegetable farms of Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Al Dhaid in Sharjah, and date palm groves across the northern emirates. Date palm is the traditional tree crop. Forage such as Rhodes grass and alfalfa is grown for livestock, often under centre pivots. Vegetables such as tomato and cucumber are grown in open fields and, more and more, in greenhouses and other protected systems.
Rain is rare and summer heat is severe, so nearly every crop depends on irrigation. Water comes from groundwater, which is limited and in places salty, from desalinated water and from treated wastewater. Water-hungry crops such as irrigated forage get the closest attention. For a farm manager the weekly question is simple: how much water does each plot actually need?
Cities matter too. Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah plant and irrigate large numbers of street and landscape trees, and each one has a water and maintenance cost. Map My Crop supports growers, agribusinesses, insurers and agencies in the United Arab Emirates, and has an office in Dubai.
Main crops
Date palm
The traditional tree crop, grown in oases and farms such as those around Al Ain and Liwa, where tree counts and canopy stress matter.
Alfalfa and Rhodes grass
Livestock forage grown under centre pivots and other irrigation systems, and a heavy water user.
Tomato
A main greenhouse and open-field vegetable, sensitive to heat and irrigation timing.
Cucumber and other vegetables
Grown in the northern emirates and Al Ain, often under cover, with short cycles and frequent irrigation.
Urban and landscape trees
Street, park and estate trees in the main cities, watered at scale and valued as green assets.
What makes it hard
Scarce, costly water
Groundwater is limited and sometimes saline, and desalinated water is expensive. Irrigation has to match what each crop and zone needs, not a fixed timetable.
Heat and dust
Summer temperatures regularly pass 40°C. Crops and trees can show stress within days, and dust haze can hide a satellite scene on some days.
Scattered, mixed farms
Farms are small and varied: palm groves, pivots, greenhouses and open fields sit side by side, which makes manual records slow to keep up to date.
How Map My Crop helps in United Arab Emirates
Plan irrigation plot by plot
Irrigation Suite combines satellite water stress and soil moisture with field-level weather and evapotranspiration. It gives a schedule per crop and field, water volumes per management zone and a comparison of planned and actual use. It covers tree crops such as date palm as well as field crops.
Count and track date palms
Plantation Monitoring counts trees and rows, finds gaps and scores individual tree health, block by block. Managers see which blocks to visit first and keep a dated record of each block.
Monitor forage and vegetable fields
Crop Monitoring gives vegetation and water-stress maps, a 15-day forecast for your own field, alerts and plain-language advisories. Photo-based disease detection helps scouts on the ground.
Find irrigated farms and pivots
Farm Detection Suite detects farm features such as centre-pivot farms and trees from satellite imagery, so agencies and agribusinesses can map where irrigated land is and what is on it.
Keep a register of city trees
Urban Tree Monitoring detects individual trees, builds an inventory, identifies species and scores tree health. Species models are validated for 100+ species in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. Irrigation can be scheduled per tree zone.
How it starts
- Tell us your area and crops. Say where your farms, groves or tree assets are, which crops matter and what decision you need to make, such as irrigation timing or tree counts.
- We set up your fields and maps. Field and block boundaries are mapped from satellite imagery, or you share your own. Monitoring and field-level weather then start from those boundaries.
- Review it in a demo. See maps, alerts and reports for your own fields or sourcing areas. Book a demo on the contact page. We reply within one business day.
Frequently asked questions
Can satellites monitor date palms and desert farms?
Yes. Satellite imagery shows canopy condition and water stress. With high-resolution imagery, Plantation Monitoring detects and counts individual trees, and Irrigation Suite covers tree crops such as date palm.
Do I need sensors or equipment on the farm?
No. Monitoring starts from satellite imagery and weather data. If a farm already has sensors or other IoT data, that can be added.
Can I use drone images as well?
Yes. Drone Monitoring turns drone images into orthomosaics, 3D models, plant counts and damage maps for detail that satellites cannot resolve.
Does Map My Crop have an office in the UAE?
Map My Crop has an office in Dubai, alongside offices in New York, Pune, London, Malaysia and Manila.