TY - JOUR
T1 - AgTech in Arabia
T2 - 'Spectacular forgetting' and the technopolitics of greening the desert
AU - Koch, Natalie
N1 - Funding Information:
«AgTech» est le dernier discours sur l'introduction de nouvelles technologies à la production agricole. Les chercheurs, les entreprises et les gouvernements du monde entier investissent massivement pour soutenir son développement. Abu Dhabi, l'émirat le plus grand et le plus riche des Émirats Arabes Unis, fait partie de ces partisans, annonçant récemment un programme massif de soutien aux entreprises AgTech. Compte tenu des températures extrêmes et de l'aridité de la péninsule arabique, plusieurs nouvelles start-ups se sont concentrées sur le développement d'installations à «environnement contrôlé» - hydroponie et aéroponie dans divers types de serres. Malgré le récit de nouveauté vanté par ces entreprises, ce n'est pas la première incursion des EAU à apporter des serres ultra-modernes ou "scientifiques" à la péninsule arabique - un grand projet de l'Université d'Arizona l'a fait à Abu Dhabi de 1969 à 1974. Pourtant, ce projet est largement oublié aujourd'hui, y compris parmi les nouveaux entrepreneurs AgTech d'aujourd'hui. Cet article cherche à savoir pourquoi c'est le cas et, plus généralement, pourquoi les échecs systématiques de projets spectaculaires de haut modernisme comme ceux de verdir le désert sont si systématiquement oubliés. En analysant l'histoire liant AgTech en Arabie il y a 50 ans et aujourd'hui, je montre comment "l'oubli spectaculaire" est lié à la technopolitique du spectacle, mais aussi ancré dans les discours géopolitiques et les imaginaires spatiaux propres à chaque moment historique. Mots-clés: spectacle; verdissement du désert; AgTech; agriculture; Péninsule arabique; Emirats Arabes Unis 1 Natalie Koch, Associate Professor of Geography and O'Hanley Faculty Scholar, Department of Geography, The Maxwell School, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA. Email: nkoch "at" maxwell.syr.edu. Koch is a political geographer focused on nationalism, authoritarianism, state theory, and alternative sites of geopolitical analysis, such as spectacle, sport, science and higher education, environmental policy, and 'post-oil' development schemes in resource-rich states. She is the author of The geopolitics of spectacle: space, synecdoche, and the new capitals of Asia (Cornell University Press, 2018). Acknowledgements: research for this project was supported by a Fulbright Core Scholars Grant for Middle East and North Africa Regional Research, an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Fellowship for Experienced Researchers, and a CUSE Grant from the Syracuse University Office of Sponsored Programs. Thanks also to the referees and Matt MacLean, Victoria Hightower, Ingrid Nelson, Feras Klenk, and Ainhoa Mingolarra Garaizar for their help and input along the way.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, University of Arizona Libraries.
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - 'AgTech' is the latest discourse about introducing new technologies to agricultural production. Researchers, corporations, and governments around the world are investing heavily in supporting its development. Abu Dhabi, the largest and wealthiest emirate in the UAE, has been among these supporters, recently announcing a massive scheme to support AgTech companies. Given the extreme temperatures and aridity of the Arabian Peninsula, several new start-ups have focused on 'controlled environment' facilities-hydroponics and aeroponics in various kinds of greenhouses. Despite the narrative of novelty touted by these companies, this is not the UAE's first foray with bringing ultra-modern or 'scientific' greenhouses to the Arabian Peninsula-a large University of Arizona project did so in Abu Dhabi from 1969-1974. Yet that project is largely forgotten today, including among today's new AgTech entrepreneurs. This article investigates why this is the case and, more generally, why the systematic failures of high-modernist, spectacular projects like those to green the desert are so routinely forgotten. In analyzing the story linking AgTech in Arabia 50 years ago and today, I show how 'spectacular forgetting' is related to the technopolitics of spectacle, but also rooted in geopolitical discourses and spatial imaginaries particular to each historical moment.
AB - 'AgTech' is the latest discourse about introducing new technologies to agricultural production. Researchers, corporations, and governments around the world are investing heavily in supporting its development. Abu Dhabi, the largest and wealthiest emirate in the UAE, has been among these supporters, recently announcing a massive scheme to support AgTech companies. Given the extreme temperatures and aridity of the Arabian Peninsula, several new start-ups have focused on 'controlled environment' facilities-hydroponics and aeroponics in various kinds of greenhouses. Despite the narrative of novelty touted by these companies, this is not the UAE's first foray with bringing ultra-modern or 'scientific' greenhouses to the Arabian Peninsula-a large University of Arizona project did so in Abu Dhabi from 1969-1974. Yet that project is largely forgotten today, including among today's new AgTech entrepreneurs. This article investigates why this is the case and, more generally, why the systematic failures of high-modernist, spectacular projects like those to green the desert are so routinely forgotten. In analyzing the story linking AgTech in Arabia 50 years ago and today, I show how 'spectacular forgetting' is related to the technopolitics of spectacle, but also rooted in geopolitical discourses and spatial imaginaries particular to each historical moment.
KW - Agriculture
KW - Agtech
KW - Arabian peninsula
KW - Desert greening
KW - Spectacle
KW - United arab emirates
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85083247524&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.2458/V26I1.23507
DO - 10.2458/V26I1.23507
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85083247524
SN - 1073-0451
VL - 26
SP - 666
EP - 686
JO - Journal of Political Ecology
JF - Journal of Political Ecology
IS - 1
ER -