Dubai: It is time for Dubai’s green champions to once again grow their own food and win prizes.
Hussain Nasser Lootah, director-general of Dubai Municipality, on Tuesday launched the second edition of its ‘Grow Your Food’ campaign that encourages residents to cultivate vegetables and herbs in their backyards and balconies and help contribute to food security and food safety in the emirate.
Cash prizes await the winners of the best vegetable gardens in homes, offices, schools and special needs centres in Dubai in this year’s campaign that will start with a series of workshops and training programmes before the three-month contest begins in December.
With the successful launch of the campaign last year, a senior official said citizens and expatriates in the emirate have become more aware of the importance of home farming, and the need for preserving the environment, which paves the way for a new cultural diffusion to other UAE regions.
“We want to change the mindset of [more] people. It’s not difficult … It is easy … Even if you have one room, you can grow something. You just need to know the right method.” Khalid Mohammad Sharif Al Awadhi, assistant director-general of the Environment, Health and Safety Control Sector.
He said the aim of the campaign is to encourage all the members of a family to participate in vegetable gardening in a simple but fun way by making use of techniques and expertise provided by experts from Dubai Municipality and campaign partners.
Shugufta M. Zubair, senior food safety awareness support officer at the municipality who is coordinating the project, said the campaign aims to contribute to food security and nutrition as well as reduce food wastage.
“Since Dubai has mostly imported food items it is very good to have your food growing in front of your eyes. We also want to promote food wastage reduction through this initiative. When people see how much hard work goes into making it, they will actually learn the importance of not wasting food … and of course it is more nutritious with no chemical pesticides.”
Nabeel Gangi, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) deputy regional representative to the Near East and North Africa and subregional coordinator ad interim for GCC and Yemen, noted that getting cognisant with food waste is extremely important, especially for the young generation who hardly has an opportunity to see rural areas where food is produced.
“We know that 30 per cent of the food with all its associated resources are lost or wasted. So we need to address it today. We can reduce food waste by increasing the appreciation of the resources and the human efforts that are put in food this way,” Gangi, a jury member of the contest, told Gulf News.
He lauded the UAE’s efforts in achieving sustainable development goals and hoped that other regional countries will follow suit and compete for achieving food security.
Registration and training
Zubair said some 500 participants, including 300 residents and 100 schools, have already signed up for this year’s campaign. Participants can register through the website, www.growyourfood.ae, and sign up to take part in the free workshops that will be held every Saturday from October till November end in the Al Khawaneej farm of the Desert Group Nursery.
Tips in vertical gardening, hydroponic irrigation system, use of natural pesticides and minerals will be provided to help participants start organic farming in limited spaces with less use of water.
“Small tips like using eggshells for protein, natural pesticides like thyme water, tea bags, etc, will help people to make their garden in a cost-effective way … Students will be given lessons in gardening so they can practise them at home along with the programme in schools,” said Zubair.
Existing and new gardens will be assessed in separate categories. The jury consisting of local, national and international experts will shortlist and visit the top 10 gardens in each category after assessing their photos posted on the website and Facebook page for the campaign, said Syed Moazam, executive director of Expo Consultancy Bureau, which is organising the campaign for the municipality.
He said organic farming of seasonal crops like cucumber, tomato, carrots, chilli, mint, coriander and other greens and herbs can be done during the contest period.
“There will be another event in Zabeel Park on October 14 where more public awareness events will be held. A large pot symbolising the theme of the campaign will be set up in the park to encourage the public to plant seeds and nurture them in the giant pot,” said Moazam.
Grow Your Food Campaign details
Registration: Through www.growyourfood.ae
Categories: Villas, apartments, schools, offices, special need centres
Workshops: On every Saturday in October and November at Dubai Desert Group’s farm in Al Khawaneej
Contest: From December to February
