FRESH POINTE
ABSTRACT In recent years, due to Covid19 and military conflicts, the world has faced unforeseeable market conditions. Where global trade plummeted, and prices of goods significantly increased. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the overall consumer price index of food prices is 10.1% higher than in May 2021. Leading to growing concern about food security; nations are either incapable of producing enough food to feed their people or are vulnerable because of global external factors that affect the food supply. As a result, any economic or environmental risk at this point can jeopardize the availability and affordability of food. Like the UAE, despite recent efforts to convert 7,237 square kilometers of desert into farmable land, agriculture accounts for only 3% of the UAE’s GDP. Since the 1900s, the UAE but more specifically Dubai gained its reputation as a trading hub; immigrants would choose Dubai as their home due to its affordability and strategic location along the trade route. Farmlands at the time were mainly palm trees since they could survive with little to no water. They would visit Dubai creek, where Indian and Persian merchants sold fruits close to the trading ships for easier accessibility. In doing so, the community unintentionally created dynamic markets for commerce and chatter between different backgrounds. Today, Dubai has welcomed over 200 nationalities, and the population is forever growing. The creek is still present, and the people are still here, however the interaction between consumer and seller has diluted into big chain supermarket-dominance. Once a vital aspect of a Dubaian lifestyle, a marketplace where people gather, strengthen social ties, and commerce has been wiped to nonexistence. This research aims to explore the UAE’s response to food security, analyze the significance of marketplaces and their symbolic importance in societies, and examine the connection between rural-urban linkage. In times of modernity and globalization, it will assess the need for a market space for cultural preservation and food security.
ABSTRACT
In recent years, due to Covid19 and military conflicts, the world has faced unforeseeable market conditions. Where global trade plummeted, and prices of goods significantly increased. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the overall consumer price index of food prices is 10.1% higher than in May 2021. Leading to growing concern about food security; nations are either incapable of producing enough food to feed their people or are vulnerable because of global external factors that affect the food supply. As a result, any economic or environmental risk at this point can jeopardize the availability and affordability of food. Like the UAE, despite recent efforts to convert 7,237 square kilometers of desert into farmable land, agriculture accounts for only 3% of the UAE’s GDP. Since the 1900s, the UAE but more specifically Dubai gained its reputation as a trading hub; immigrants would choose Dubai as their home due to its affordability and strategic location along the trade route. Farmlands at the time were mainly palm trees since they could survive with little to no water. They would visit Dubai creek, where Indian and Persian merchants sold fruits close to the trading ships for easier accessibility. In doing so, the community unintentionally created dynamic markets for commerce and chatter between different backgrounds. Today, Dubai has welcomed over 200 nationalities, and the population is forever growing. The creek is still present, and the people are still here, however the interaction between consumer and seller has diluted into big chain supermarket-dominance. Once a vital aspect of a Dubaian lifestyle, a marketplace where people gather, strengthen social ties, and commerce has been wiped to nonexistence. This research aims to explore the UAE’s response to food security, analyze the significance of marketplaces and their symbolic importance in societies, and examine the connection between rural-urban linkage. In times of modernity and globalization, it will assess the need for a market space for cultural preservation and food security.
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Figure 4: Hydroponic
farming in the UAE
As of recent times, farmers in the UAE have been
urged to transition to organic agriculture, with 75
farms already transitioning. The Abu Dhabi Agriculture
and Food Safety Authority’s research stations
too are investigating the effectiveness of
various intelligent farming methods, such as vertical
farms, which generate up to ten times the harvests
of conventional farming, and sprinkler irrigation
methods, which enhance efficiency (Tolley).
Vertical farming, a highly efficient method of agriculture,
is gaining popularity in the UAE to address
the needs of the expanding population. It involves
growing plants in multi-layered structures in totally
regulated settings, allowing for year-round crop
production (Sankar). In partnership with Crop One
Holdings, As of June 2022 Emirates Airlines presented
the world’s largest vertical farm in Dubai. The
330,000-square-foot facility, which costs $40,000, is
used to cultivate kale, spinach, and mixed greens.
Bustanica can produce over 2 million pounds
of organic, high-quality greens annually (Hall).
Additionally, it employs artificial intelligence to
grow food without soil. And to decrease the
risk of contamination, by restrictions on human
contact with plants. A closed-loop irrigation
system sprays the plants at the site. Each
plant is irrigated with mineral-rich water, which
evaporates and is then collected and reused
to feed the entire vegetation. This system also
utilizes hydroponic farming, which requires 95%
less water than conventional growing techniques
(Hall). To optimize various farming techniques
is to integrate them within the urban
fabric. It is making something that is perceived
as strictly rural accessible within minutes.
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Figure 5: Alain Oases
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