Dubai: Eight residents who turned their homes into mini-farms and gardens were declared winners of the Grow Your Own Food contest in Dubai, which has made forays into the urban farming trend.
Around 100 residents participated in the competition, which started in October last year to encourage people to grow plants to support a healthy lifestyle.
The winners were each handed a Dh10,000 grocery voucher.
The contest was organised by Dubai Municipality and foodstuff firms Jaleel Holdings and Eastern Condiments in line with last year’s World Food Day’s family farming theme.
A few companies and several schools — with 4,000 participating students — also won in their respective categories, apart from the handful of winners in the apartment and villa categories.
The initiative saw apartment balconies and villa grounds transform into lush green spaces, with home-grown vegetables on the daily menu for families and friends.
Organisers had distributed varieties of seeds to all participants and guided them on how to grow vegetables in their gardens.
On Tuesday, Dubai Municipality officials honoured the winners, who walked away with a total of Dh150,000 worth of shopping vouchers.
Commenting on the initiative, Hussain Lootah, Director-General, Dubai Municipality, said: “Kitchen farming is being identified the world over as a way to overcome several health issues of families. Civic bodies in the developed world are keen to make urban spaces greener.”
Felicitating the winners on stage was Salem Bin Mesmar, the municipality’s assistant director-general for environment, health and safety control sector, and Khalid Al Awadhi, director of the municipality’s food control department.
Kitchen gardens
Al Awadhi said: “Our aim is to have kitchen gardens in all households in the emirate over the next few years. The concept attains greater significance, especially at a time when several studies have recommended daily consumption of a good amount of fresh vegetables which will help lead a healthy life.”
Apartment category winner Ebrahim Gadiwala has started to do just that.
He did not even need soil to grow his plants, using the hydroponics technique of minerals in water as the base instead. The roots were put in a solution that helped plants grow in his balcony and building’s roof.
Gadiwala, an Indian project manager in a Dubai bank, did not need to use his hands every much either. An automatic pump system watered the 20-odd plants at set times and amounts.
“I’m going on leave soon but I don’t need to worry about watering my plants. The system will take care of itself,” said Gadiwala, 36.
The entire set up cost him roughly Dh250, he said, adding that the water and electricity for the system only costs him a negligible amount in his monthly utility bill.
“I only need around 60 litres and maybe a kilowatt-hour of electricity every month. That’s like Dh10-Dh20 extra on my bill,” Gadiwala, who has two children, said.
He now has fresh and organic strawberries, lettuce, tomatoes, cabbage, coriander, bitter gourd and other produce straight from his balcony, which is only around four feet wide and 15 feet long.
“The kids can’t wait to pluck the strawberries. We haven’t been grocery shopping for the [produce] for months. The food tastes much better and fresher. When the plants get bigger, I’ll let them hang off the balcony.”
It is possible the campaign will run a second time, Sameer Mohammad, Managing Director, Jaleel Holdings, said.
“Or it could be any other beneficial campaign for residents. We’re a UAE-born company and that’s the core focus of our Corporate Social Responsibility activities,” Mohammad added.
