An oasis in Liwa desert

When you travel deep into the desert, you would normally expect to see sand dunes, mir-ages, and insects crawling on the sizzling sand.

To see fish diving, water splashing on tomato and cucumber plants could be mistaken for another mirage at first glance. But in a desert spot in Liwa in the Eastern region, it is a reality.

Scientifically called 'integrated farming', the complex has raised fish in aquariums in Liwa along with vegetable and fruit in an exciting agricultural experiment which is unique to the Middle East.

Experts from the Abu Dhabi Municipality and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries went to the farm, owned by Bakhit Mubarak Al Mansouri, and saw thousands of fish leaping into and out of the long water ducts that cut across the plantation.

A report published in the municipality's magazine, Al Murshed, showed the owner happily holding two fish as if to demonstrate his triumph against the harsh desert conditions.

"I began with a handful of fish eggs brought from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries nearly three years ago. Now production is in tonnes," he says.

The canals are partly covered to deflect the heat and at the same time ensure the required sunshine for the marine creatures. Mansouri now has three ducts and his plans include expansion of those aquariums to increase production for commercial purposes.

The first canal houses more than 4,000 fish aged about eight months' old while nearly 2,500 fish one year old live in the second aquarium.

The third is assigned for breeding as it contains only female adult fish and adjoins breeding ducts. Breeding of the fish is a complicated process but it is quick and successful. The process is supervised by experts, including vets and farm engineers.

"The ducts are emptied and refilled twice every day. The water in the ducts is used to irrigate the cultivated areas, mainly date trees. This means we do not need fertilisers as fish waste is rich in such substances. We could see this in the large increase in the production of those trees," the report quoted the farm supervisor, Lutfi Mushrif, as saying.

Experts said integrated farming has been applied in a few other countries, including Egypt, the United States and China where fish are grown in rice paddies. But they noted that such a technique is more difficult in the desert given its scarcity of water.

"I think that farm in Liwa is the first of its kind in the UAE. It has proved successful despite the difficult climatic and geographical conditions in this area," said professor Abdul Fattah Mohammed Al Sayed of the Emirates University.

Fish in those ducts are fed with chicken fodder at a rate of only three kilogrammes a day besides plants and grass grown under water, according to Mansouri.

"We use only one 25-kilogramme bag of this fodder every 7-10 days. But that is more than enough as such a fodder is very rich in protein."