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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A similar public space that was used as a marketplace
is Jemaa el-Fna. Jemaa el-Fna, located in the center of
the Medina and at the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, has
served as the most important market area in all of Marrakech
ever since it was first established in the 11th century.
Public executions were held on this square around the
year 1050 A.D., it is known as Jemaa el-Fna, which translates
to “assembly of the dead.” The market presently serves as
a connecting point between the ancient and new sections
of Marrakech and is a hub for commercial and social
activities as well as a venue for cultural expression in the
neighborhood. Jemaa el-Fna, much like the city itself, has
gone through phases of decline and revitalization during
its long history. The square served as a major transportation
hub for a significant portion of the 20th century; however,
it has been off-limits to automobile traffic ever since the
year 2000. The public square is used not only as a market,
but also as an open-air stage for a variety of musical, religious,
and theatrical performances. As a result, it is a lively
source of entertainment for both the residents of the neighborhood
and the tourists that come to the area (Danesie).
Farmers’ markets are thought to have initially developed
in Egypt about 5000 years ago. The annual
flooding of the Nile River was an essential factor in the
development of ancient Egyptian civilization. Egyptians
were able to establish an empire on the back of
immense agricultural prosperity due to the reliability
of the river and the richness of the surrounding region.
The Egyptians were the ones who came up with the
idea of using basins to collect water for irrigation. Because
of their expertise in agriculture, they were able
to cultivate food crops that were essential to their nourishment,
such as wheat and barley, as well as crops
that were used in industry, such as flax and papyrus.
They have a wealth of knowledge in the field of gardening.
In addition to field planting, the floodplains
were used for cultivating gardens, orchards, and other
forms of horticulture. This type of agriculture was
frequently practiced further out from the floodplain
of the Nile, which required a great amount more labor.
Growers had little choice but to manually transport
water from a well or the Nile to their gardens.
Farmers and craftspeople brought their goods into
the cities to sell them. The vast majority of items were
gained through various forms of bartering rather than
through monetary transactions, and it was believed
that the goods’ values were determined by weights.
Figure 15: Jemaa El Fnaa 31
32
Figure 16: Ancient Egypt Farming
Figure 17: Crop Field - Egypt
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