Sheikha Al Muhairy is an impressive young woman. Just 16 months ago, the 24-year-old Emirati founded Organic Oasis, a farm on family-owned land near her home in Al Khawaneej in Dubai, and she has literally watched it grow into a thriving business that produces 52 types of fruit, vegetables and herbs on its 85,000-square-foot site. The farm has also obtained three types of local and international organic certification: UAE Organic; USDA Organic; and EU Organic from BCS Öko-Garantie GmbH, which is Europe's oldest organic-certifying body.
Al Muhairy’s interest in farming stems from her passion for food and its provenance. “When I started shopping for organic [produce] and saw the trends that were happening, I began asking questions about where this food was coming from, and was curious to see where the farms were. I went to look and discovered that there are more than 50 organically certified farms in the UAE.
“My family had land, which was not being utilised properly, so just for the fun of it and to eat, I farmed a field of watermelons. It produced 3.5 tonnes. I was caught off guard – there are only so many melons you can give to your friends. We were growing these huge quantities, which we couldn’t just keep for ourselves, and so the decision was made to sell the produce.
“I always had an involvement with food, and I like to take care of my parents and to see what they are eating, so I am always finding new things for them. It never really started as a business for me. I am a student of marketing and psychology, and I also work in a family business in real estate and construction, so I had nothing to do with agriculture. Even now, I wouldn’t claim to be a farmer, as I don’t actually do the farming. I am more focused on the business development and the marketing.”
A recent addition to the team is Organic Oasis’s farm manager, the Filipino agriculturalist Emerson Sison Bagalay, who takes responsibility for the day-to-day management of the farm’s crops and workers, and has brought a new perspective and experience to the business.
Al Muhairy takes pride in the fact that the farm’s organic certification complies with internationally recognised standards, as well as local ones. The farm was certified when it was newly established, and teams of engineers came in from BCS Öko-Garantie GmbH to see how things were being done.
The farm is now in its second growing season, although the cycle is running a little later this year because the weather was hot for so long. Cool houses, currently growing cucumbers, are a recent addition, and bees will shortly be taking up formal residence to encourage pollination. When we visited, the melons had just been harvested, and any green matter remaining will be left to feed the soil and rotated before the next drop is planted.
Fields of corn, aubergine and okra are already well under way; at the same time, a variety of seedlings for leafy vegetables are being propagated under a shaded canopy and are now almost ready to be planted out.
Transparency and education feature in the farm’s ethos, and Al Muhairy actively encourages corporate and school visits. “People can pop in and have a picnic. It’s important because some people are forgetting where, for example, chicken comes from, or corn. It doesn’t just come from a plastic bag and arrive on your shelf,” she says.
“There is a lot of speculation about organic, and a lot of people see it as a marketing technique, rather than the reality of the thing, which is farming without pesticides and chemicals. We are working hard to educate people on what it is really all about, which is why our whole process is organically certified from seed to harvest. We never use treated seeds, which is what the international standard dictates. As a businessperson and as a human, I would find it wrong to do otherwise.
“We also work hard to make our team understand what is being done from an organic perspective, and about caring for the plants, which are like babies. Here, because of the heat, our plants require a lot more attention than elsewhere.”
The team is restricted in terms of what it can use to help its crops fight disease, harmful insects, nematodes and grubs, so it uses organic repellents. “We use dried fish tea, onions, garlic and pepper to keep the pests away. We ferment these mixtures in big tanks and then spray it via the irrigation systems.”
The farm also uses chicken manure to feed the soil. “A plant’s life cycle requires increased nutrition at the beginning, and at the mid point, you need to fertilise again, and 60 days before cropping you stop fertilising. You have to be clever; you have know when to seed, when to harvest and when to let them go.”
Al Muhairy would like to find a platform whereby local farmers and farm owners could work more collaboratively, sharing knowledge and best practices. “We are producing the same and selling to the same people. Communication is lacking between the owners and the market. We have so much potential, but right now it’s not being utilised.
“Farmers need help. A lot of them know how to do it, and they could be sharing their knowledge more, and we could be doing so much more in the UAE. It’s a dominant psyche that the lands are not being utilised by the people who own them.”
Al Muhairy reflects that the last 16 months have taught her much, and not just about farming. “Team development is key; how to build that team effort and get people to enjoy what they are doing. It is the proper management of people that gives these kinds of results. It is also about labour rights and conditions of living; it is not solely about the food.”
The farm already has an impressive client list, including juice companies, restaurant groups and supermarkets. It participates in The Farmers' Market on the Terrace in Dubai, and also retails directly from its own website, www.organicoasis.ae, offering a wide range of produce such as tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, potatoes, melons, marrows, pumpkins, beans, peas, broccoli, cabbages, cauliflowers, kale, turnips, radishes, rocket and watercress.
It’s evident from its slick online proposition, outreach and education programme that Al Mulhairy’s background in marketing has come into play, developing an ethical and sustainable business in a relatively short space of time, and also proliferating the message that what you eat is at the heart of good health.
Are her parents also enjoying the fruit of her labours? “Oh yes, they enjoy the melons,” she says. “Actually, my father was very sceptical of it in the beginning, but now, he is finding his friends asking about how he is utilising his ‘old place’. It is a family collaboration; it’s not just me, and there’s a trust there when somebody gives you something that they own to do something with. I was only 22 when I began this.
“Most of the landowners here are older people. This is my father’s land, but would he have the patience or time to think about organic? No. It is the younger generation who should take control. Many of the locals are blessed with land, but is it being utilised? That is the question. It is our responsibility.”
Organic Farms
Yas Organic Farm
Yas Organic Farm is located between Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, and cultivates about 35 varieties of vegetables, as well as organic meat and poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks, pigeons), and eggs. Vegetables are grown without the use of pesticides, and animals are fed natural grass and barley that’s grown on-site. The animals aren’t exposed to antibiotics, steroids or artificial foods. All meat is completely fresh – delivered on the same day the animal is slaughtered. The farm will be opening a dedicated shop next month, but in the meantime it offers home-delivery services twice a week in Abu Dhabi and on Mondays in Dubai. You can order your Christmas turkey now, and it’ll be delivered straight to your door.
Contact: 055 973 3337
Greenheart Organic Farms
The problem with many of the UAE’s organic farms is that it’s almost impossible to find them. There are no websites or contact numbers, and there’s very little available information about what they do and how they do it – which is why Greenheart Organic Farms is such a breath of fresh air. All of the company’s produce can be bought online or at its store in Al Barsha, Dubai. There’s about 120 varieties of vegetables, fruit and herbs on offer through the year, as well as jars of raw honeycomb produced by Greenheart’s bees, free-range organic eggs and a selection of handcrafted cheese and dairy products. As part of its “Help to Build Soil” campaign, the company is also encouraging customers to return their raw food waste to the farm, which is then used as compost. Participants are provided with recycled paper bags, which can be composted together with the waste, and will be picked up by Greenheart when it delivers your next batch of organic veggies.
Contact: 04 361 7010 or visit www.greenheartuae.com
Integrated Green Resources UAE
Organic farming may be all the rage these days, but Integrated Green Resources UAE farms have been producing and distributing organic vegetables in the UAE since 2008. The company’s farms are located in Al Rahba and Al Khawaneej, and are certified by the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology. The organic fruit and vegetables on offer include cucumbers, okra, courgettes, tomatoes, beans, peas, kale, cauliflowers, onions, beetroots, sweetcorn and melons. The company also distributes gluten-free products by the Italian brand Schar, as well as natural ice cream and a range of other organic products, which are sold at supermarkets such as Lulu, Carrefour and Spinneys, at The Change Initiative and through The Farmers’ Market on the Terrace in Dubai.
Contact: 04 295 4006 or visit www.igruae.com
From farm to table
Find out more about organic farming – and cooking – at the From Farm to Table event on November 14 at Lana’s Partiperfect. As part of its Organic Festival, the cafe and catering company, which is based in Abu Dhabi’s Marina Village, is running a farm tour and cooking class, in association with Mawasim, a 22-hectare organic farm in Abu Dhabi that specialises in producing and supplying more than 50 different types of vegetables, herbs and fruit.
The event starts at Lana’s Cafe at 9.30am with coffee and healthy snacks, followed by a 50-minute bus journey to the farm. You’ll spend about an hour touring the estate and learning more about its operations, before returning to Lana’s Partiperfect and cooking up some organic delicacies. The all-day event costs Dh300 per person.
If you want to get your children involved, too, try Lana’s Partiperfect’s Little Farmers event on November 21, which will involve an educational tour of an organic farm pop-up. They’ll learn about organic fruit and vegetables, and get to use these ingredients to create dishes such as chicken arrabiata, broccoli spaghetti and tangerine pineapple smoothies.
You can also catch the Mawasim Organic Market inside Abu Dhabi’s World Trade Center Mall every Friday from 2pm to 9pm. The event has grown steadily since its launch in June.
For more information, visit www.partiperfect.ae and www.mawasim.ae.
Fresh produce in season is available for delivery via www.organicoasis.ae. Appointments to visit the farm can be booked via the website. It also offers consultancy services to those wishing to source seeds and run similar projects.