The farm has been a long time coming. Through her business partnership with Abdullah Bel Habb, an Emirati with a farming background among several other business ventures, they have worked hard so that Nazwa Organic Farm sells directly to its customers — cutting out the supermarkets.
Published: 00:00 April 17, 2010
Dubai: "I love Brussels sprouts and I'm determined to succeed," says Elena Kinane, general manager of Nazwa Organic Farm located outside Dubai on the Hatta road.
Even at nine months pregnant and waiting for the imminent arrival of her second child, Kinane, 35, of German-Armenian origin is excited to point out leaves of basil, rocket and romaine lettuce, cabbage, capsicum and cherry tomatoes, biting into whatever looks ripe — while most mothers-to-be would be resting with their feet up.
Delicious organic cherry tomatoes
"This didn't happen over night," she is quick to add walking around what is now a 42-acre organic farm producing around 65 types of fruit and vegetables at 7am.
"It took 10 years to build. Through trial and error, we are adding slowly to our selection of vegetables to provide the community of Dubai with organic produce," said Kinane.
Yellow peppers being cultivated at Nazwa Organic Farm
The farm has been a long time coming. Through her business partnership with Abdullah Bel Habb, an Emirati with a farming background among several other business ventures, they have worked hard so that Nazwa Organic Farm sells directly to its customers — cutting out the supermarkets.
"We have had offers to package our lettuce and put it in supermarkets but I don't want to put my leaves in a bag and ship them around. We want to keep the food mileage low. We have one small shop and minimise packaging," said Kinane.
Up to 300kg of vegetables are produced on the farm including corn, red cabbage, potatoes, courgettes, aubergines, carrots, lettuces and herbs, and sold in a small shop near Al Manara Street in Umm Suqeim. Delivery in Arabian Ranches is free.
"We harvest every day. As you can see the tomatoes are growing at different rates on the vine," she said, lifting up a bunch of bright red cherry tomatoes hanging next to small green barely ripened ones.
"It's a typical sign of organic farming that they're all at different stages of growth. Traditional farms produce crops that are the same size and grow at the same rate."
While Brussels sprouts may not be everyone's favourite vegetable, they are on her ‘to grow' list — along with hopefully figs, lemons and mangoes in the future. For now the focus is on leafy green vegetables and herbs, and watermelons and melons.
Honeydew melon at the farm.
"We're trying to build up our strawberries. So far we get about 25 punnets a week. But we do get people that come to the shop and get upset because they are not available. You can't predict anything with organic produce and we really want people to understand that," said Kinane.
The farm was certified organic in September 2009 by the Ministry of Environment and Water. Tests were carried out on the soil at ground level, 60cm depth and 120cm depth. Crop samples were tested during three different stages of growth to pick up any traces of chemicals — of which there were none.
The farm consists of 45 ‘grow' houses — sturdy square-shaped hangars with industrial fans at one end for ventilation and nine older traditional greenhouses.
"We're 100 per cent chemical free but we do regulate the temperature and the humidity in the grow houses. We can play with the conditions to provide an optimum environment for things to grow," said Kinane. "We never grow the same crop on the same field twice in a row. We leave the [sandy] soil to rest and lay down manure before we sow."
Is organic better?
Organic farming uses methods that are less aggressive on the land and crops as no chemical fertilisers or pesticides are used. Crop rotation ensures that soils are not stripped of their nutrients and is productive for a longer period of time.
In many agriculture areas, pollution of groundwater with synthetic fertilisers and pesticides is a major problem. As the use of these is prohibited in organic agriculture, they are replaced by organic fertilizers such as compost or animal manure.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO) within organic systems is not permitted during any stage of organic food production, processing or handling. As the potential impact of GMOs to both the environment and health is not entirely understood, organic agriculture is taking the precautionary approach and choosing to encourage natural biodiversity.
Benefits: Fruitful venture
* Delicious organic cherry tomatoes.
* Yellow peppers being cultivated at Nazwa Organic Farm.
* Organic basil in full bloom.
* Honeydew melon at the farm.
* Organic corn, red cabbage and broccoli grow in the open.
* Free range chicken fed on fresh alfalfa leaves.
Farming process
1 The fields are cleared of roots of anything that was previously grown and left to rest and breathe. To be certified, the soil is tested at ground level, 60cm depth and 120cm depth to make sure no pesticides are in the soil.
2 Fertilisation prepares the soil for crops. Compost made up of leaves, foliage, roots or rotten crops is left to decompose. This compost is used as fertiliser and is laid out and mixed in to the soil, watered and left for 2-3 weeks to replenish itself.
3 All crops are grown in soil. Hydroculture where crops are grown in water is not done at Nazwa Organic Farm. Companion Planting is when certain crops are grown together to minimise disease and insects.
4 Crops are watered and as they ripen, harvested letting other crop ripen in their own time.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/environment/back-to-nature-the-organic-way-1.613413
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