Mariam Al Jenaibi plants organic seeds at Khaleej Times premises. Also seen is Shugufta M. Zubair (right), food awareness officer with the Dubai Municipality. - Photo by Kiran Prasad
Dubai - As part of the event, DM officials shared tips on beautifying indoor garden and growing seasonal food and vegetables on KT's landscape.
By Sherouk Zakaria and Bernd Debusmann Jr.
Published: Tue 11 Oct 2016, 3:41 PM
Last updated: Tue 11 Oct 2016, 5:45 PM
As part of its "Grow Your Food" campaign, Dubai Municipality has organized a workshop at Khaleej Times premises to encourage importance of organic farming.
The municipality recently launched its second "Grow your food" competition to encourage residents and business owners to cultivate vegetables and fruits at balconies and terraces on their premises.
How to Grow in Your Own Home-Buy soil and a pot
-Put layer of soil in pot
-Place used eggshells or tea-bags
-Add another layer of soil n
-Draw a line in the soil with a pen or knife
-Add holes for seeds
-Place two seeds in each hole, in case one seed doesn't germinate
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As part of the event, DM officials shared tips on beautifying indoor garden and growing seasonal food and vegetables on KT's landscape.
Engineer Mariam Al Jenaibi, the CEO of Al Ebdaa Zahabi Investments, which has partnered with DM for the campaign, worked with the company's staff to identify areas suitable for sowing seeds on the lawn.
Enable Group offered small indoor plants for staff at discounted rates.
"First we are targeting to plant greenery and flowers, then we will move to planting organic vegetables," said a KT staff member.
The technical team working with DM added some seeds to the lawn and gave seeds and soil to gardeners.
The team members then asked to watch progress in 10-15 days before they can inspect the lawn again and identify the ideal location for growing organic crops.
During the event, Engineer Al Jenaibi noted that UAE consumers need to be wary of labels claiming food is organic, and noted that only government-approved logos can ensure that products are 100 percent chemical free, natural and clean.
As an example, she noted that food certified by UAE authorities comes with the "UAE Organic" seal, and is often accompanied by equivalent logos from the US Department of Agriculture and the European Union.
She noted that growing plants in a home is the same process as growing in a garden, and can be even be done in a balcony.
"In the home, you should also be prepared to do composting," she added.
Registration to Grow Your Food competition is now open to residents and companies. To register, go to www.growyourfood.ae
Categories are villas, apartments, schools, offices, special need centers.
Workshops to help planting organic farming are offered on every Saturday in October and November at Dubai Desert Group's farm in Al Khawaneej.
Participants will be given time from December to February to plant their seeds, then send pictures of crops.
The jury will evaluate the gardens and select ten contestants from each category. Winners are expected to be announced in March for a cash prize yet to be revealed.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com
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