@fao-RNE FAO Deputy Regional Representative Nabil Gangi with Dubai Municipality officials

Dubai, September 27, 2016: The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations will take part in the “Grow Your Food” Campaign initiated by the Dubai Municipality for the second consecutive year in a bid to encourage families and schools into home farming of vegetables and fruits suited for the country’s environment.

The campaign, which is very popular among various UAE social segments, is consistent with FAO efforts to achieve food security and fight and eradicate hunger and malnutrition by 2030, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Commenting on FAO’s participation, Nabil Gangi, FAO deputy regional representative to the Near East and North Africa, and subregional coordinator ad interim for the Gulf Cooperation Council States (GCCS) and Yemen, said: “FAO backs this kind of campaigns because they are in line with the organisation’s efforts in the field. The UAE has succeeded in advancing this campaign in a short period of time, which is evident in the Government of Dubai’s support for the campaign and its activities as well as in the great number of participants and the enthusiasm of many people to join.”

Gangi added: “FAO expresses its thanks and gratitude for the UAE for launching such innovative initiatives to encourage people to contribute to food security in creative ways that also preserve the environment in accordance with sustainability fundamentals. FAO hopes that other regional countries will follow suit and compete for achieving food security.”

For his part, Dr. Khalid Sharif, Executive Director of Dubai Municipality’s food control, said: “In the second consecutive year of the Grow Your Food Campaign, citizens and expatriates in the emirate have become more aware of the importance of home farming, and the need for persevering the environment, which paves the way for a new cultural diffusion to other UAE regions. The campaign is consistent with Dubai Municipality’s vision to build a happy and sustainable city.”

Gangi was selected as a member of the jury for the campaign’s competition, which will award winners in four categories for growing the best gardens: Educational institutes, corporate companies, UAE residences, and special needs. The winners will be announced at the end of the campaign.

The competition is based on the idea of leveraging available resources for better cultivation in line with best agricultural standards. Through fieldwork and educational leaflets, a technical team will advise participants on how to cultivate land and educate them on plant pests and diseases as well as ways to eradicate them.

The two previous campaigns saw a huge response from citizens and expatriates in the UAE, particularly students. More than 90 participants in the residences category applied on the campaign's website.

Also, around 4,000 students from more than 30 schools registered, while 20 schools were nominated for the educational institutes categories under the “gardening project”, launched by the Ministry of Education.

During the previous campaigns, the Dubai Municipality disseminated guidance leaflets on ways to grow home and school gardens. The first step is to plan a garden by identifying and evaluating features of the location, before deciding on pathways, waterlines, and shades. Next is to design the distribution of plants, and an irrigation system suited for fruits.