DUBAI // Farmers have taken the initiative to stick together and share their knowledge on how best to grow food in the desert.
A group from Bahrain visited two hydroponic farms in the UAE last week to learn about advanced technologies they could apply back home.
“We started the hydroponic system last year,” said Faisal Alawi, a Bahraini who has been farming for 20 years. “But I want to learn more about it because I noticed it’s better than conventional methods in open fields.”
Mr Alawi grows cucumbers, tomatoes, chili and herbs on his 3,000-square-metre farm. But not only are the conditions challenging, the space is limited.
“In Bahrain, the obstacles are the lack of water and there is no space,” he said. “This is a problem because, if you don’t have space and water, you can’t grow. But with hydroponics, we can take a small area and grow anything.”
He was one of two farmers who visited technologically advanced hydroponic farms in Al Awir and Ras Al Khaimah this past week with the Dubai-based International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas.
“I see a huge difference with hydroponic, which is the reason why we want to adopt it,” he said. “All the results we see are positive – reduced water, fertiliser use and less area used with more yield produced.
“I’m hopeful that what I learn from here, I’ll be able to apply it back home and my aim is to also teach other farmers there.”
Sadeq Mirza, who has farmed in Bahrain for the past 10 years, said the soil salinity made it almost impossible to grow crops.
“I need to learn what fertiliser to use and what problems hydroponic farming could have because I need to start using more hydroponics in my greenhouses,” he said. “I want to see what I need for this system.”
His 25,000-square-metre farm grows tomatoes, cucumbers, melons and herbs.
“I saw a lot of improvement with hydroponics,” he said. “I used much less water, the fruits were of better quality and I don’t have to use pesticides, which have become a lot more expensive. The system also prevents diseases from reaching the plants.”
Staff from the centre introduced the pair to advanced hydroponic technologies, implemented in the UAE last year.
“We introduced an automatic controller system which controlled the salinity and acidity of the solution used for the crops, which means the nutrients’ concentration,” said Dr Naem Mazahrih, an irrigation and water management specialist at the centre. “After a year, we found the yield increased by 30 to 50 per cent, depending on the location of the farm and the farmer’s education.”
Seven controllers were installed on local farms last year and a new system was just set up on a farm in RAK.
“Each year, we bring two farmers from a different country,” said Dr Mazahrih. “Last year, they came from Oman and Yemen.”
The farmers were able to witness how the system was built, how it worked and how to calibrate it.
“It’s small but it can monitor the injection of fertiliser inside the irrigation tank,” he said. “And they can grow all types of vegetable crops like cucumbers and tomatoes.”
Dr Mazahrih said many farmers in the region had the perception that hydroponic farming was too complicated.
“But it’s not, it controls everything to ensure the plant takes up all the nutrients it requires,” he said. “This will allow maximum efficiency of nutrient absorption.
“So far, the project has been successful and our demonstration on one greenhouse revealed that the production of food increased by up to 50 per cent with a better quality fruit.”
cmalek@thenational.ae
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Third Test
Day 3, stumps
India 443-7 (d) & 54-5 (27 ov)
Australia 151
India lead by 346 runs with 5 wickets remaining
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
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- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
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Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
Company%20profile
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The specs: 2018 Mazda CX-5
Price, base / as tested: Dh89,000 / Dh130,000
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 188hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 251Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.1L / 100km
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills