Professional conference on environmentally sensitive landscapes in the desert environment in Abu Dhabi.

1. Feeding our Cities:
Edible and Sustainable
Landscapes
Landscape/Food Production for Consumption and Sales in the UAE
Creation of Community Gardens and Co-Ops
Recycle Wastes to Return to the Landscape
WALTER BONE, ASLA CLARB
MANAGER – URBAN DESIGN, UAE
KHATIB & ALAMI, CEC
WWW.KHATIBALAMI.COM
walter.bone@khatibalami.com
2016 Future Landscape & Public Realm – Abu Dhabi, UAE
9 February 2016

2. Landscape/Food Production for
Consumption and Sales in the UAE…..
Producing Food, Jobs and Sense of Community
Permaculture is a scientific and
artistic method for designing
human settlements to meet
humanity's basic needs (healthy
food, clean water, shelter,
energy, and community) in a
way that not only "sustains" but
actively regenerates biodiversity
and natural resources.

3. Sustainable
Farming
Organic fertilizers
Smart irrigation
Zero carbon
Composting
Wind breaks
Biodiversity
Co-Op food
production

4. Most of the UAE's cultivated land is taken up by date
palms, which in the early 1990s numbered about 4
million. Both federal and emirate governments
provide incentives to farmers. For example, the
government offers a 50 percent subsidy on fertilizers,
seeds, and pesticides. It also provides loans for
machinery and technical assistance.
The Emirates have forty-one agricultural extension
units as well as several experimental farms and
agricultural research stations.
The major vegetable crops, supplying nearly all the
country's needs during the growing season are
tomatoes, cabbage, eggplant, squash, and
cauliflower. Ras Al Khaimah produces much of the
country's vegetables. In addition to dates, the major
fruit crops are citrus and mangoes. A vegetable
canning facility in Al Ain has a processing capacity of
120 tons per day.
Considerable revenues have been devoted to
forestation, public landscaping, and parks. Trees and
shrubs are distributed free to schools, government
offices and residents. Afforestation companies
receive contracts to plant plots in the range of 200 to
300 hectares. The goals are to improve the
appearance of public places as well as to prevent
the desertification process in vulnerable agricultural
areas.

5. SOURCES and OPPORTUNITIES for LOCAL
FOOD PRODUCTION:
- National and Emirate Resources/Assistance
- Joint Collaborative Efforts of Individuals/Families
- Crop Sharing
- Income Sharing
- Job Creation
- Education
- Healthy Living
- Reducing their Carbo Footprint
- Zero Emissions

6. Abu Dhabi Farmers’ Service Centre
To support the farmers of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in an
economically, socially and environmentally responsible
way through:
•Providing extension services and training;
•Promoting market orientation and branding;
•Introducing best practices;
•To increase farming productivity and contribute to
national food security and sustainable agriculture;
2015-2016 - The production period lasts for 34 weeks,
including 15 weeks of ‘peak season' where up to 1,300
tons will be harvested per week.
Ten key crops represent approximately 77% of the total
expected production, while
Cucumbers (41%)
Tomatoes (16.6%)
Eggplant (4.7%)
Sweet peppers (4.4%)
Additional cultivating crops such as cabbage, potatoes,
and colored pepper are planned as well.

8. Mango
Date
Chicku/Sapota
Thorn Jujube
Jamun
Tamarind
Fig
White mulberry
Drumstick
Lemon
Orange
Pomegranate
Guava
Custard Apple
Papaya
Cucumber Capsicum Carrot Rosemary Mint
Citrus and other fruiting tree orchards that consist of orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, mango,
coconut, fig, date and nuts which will be harvested for human consumption and prevent
desertification.

9. COMMUNITY GARDENS & FARMERS’ CO-OPS
AN AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE, ALSO KNOWN AS A
FARMERS' CO-OP, IS A COOPERATIVE WHERE FARMERS POOL
THEIR RESOURCES IN CERTAIN AREAS OF ACTIVITY.

10. Urban Farm to Plate Food System
Opportunities to complete and operate a functioning
urban sustainable farm, an education and training
center, and a community farmer’s market all in one
location.

11. Farmers’ Co-Op Brand
Family 1 Family 2 Family 3
Farmer’s
Market

12. Education
School Gardens Education Opportunities
- Re-connect with Nature
- Value of Agriculture and Food
- Personal/Social Responsibility

13. FARMERS’ SERVICE CENTER, ABU DHABI
MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
UAE FARMER’S MARKETS

14. RIPE MARKET, ABU DHABI

15. DEERFIELD’S FARMERS MARKET, ABU DHABI

16. FARMERS MARKET ON THE TERRACE, DUBAI

17. ORGANIC OASIS, DUBAI
PHOTOS COURTESY OF

18. GREENHEART ORGANIC FARMS , DUBAI

19. Market at the Beach, Dubai

20. RECYCLE WASTES TO RETURN TO THE LANDSCAPE
COMPOSTING

21. TYPES OF COMPOSTING
COLD COMPOSTING
make a pile of your waste and let
it decompose on its own.
HOT COMPOSTING
Employs thermophilic microbes to
quickly break down the matter.
Hot composting can be very fast
taking as little as 1-2 months to
be ready.
VERMICOMPOSTING.
Great for someone without much
space and uses worms to eat the
food waste.

22. REGENERATIVE LANDSCAPES AND
WASTE RECYCLING

23. LETS’S EAT!
THANK YOU…..