Dubai Municipality Promotes Local Agriculture with 'Dubai's Best Homegrown Produce Competition'

Dubai Municipality introduced the "Dubai's Best Homegrown Produce Competition" on Monday as a part of its Dubai Farms initiative, aiming to support local farmers and boost agricultural production in the emirate.

The competition aligns with the objectives of Dubai Social Agenda 33, empowering citizens, and boosting their productivity as well as economic contribution. This will also promote self-sufficiency and physical, family, and social independence.

The contest will also raise community awareness of the latest methods and techniques in agriculture. The prize is set at AED100,000 and will be split among the top three winners: the first winner will get AED 50,000, the second will get AED 30,000 and the third one will receive AED 20,000.

Moreover, the winners will also receive the prestigious "Medal of Dubai's Best Homegrown Produce" award, to be presented by Dubai Municipal Leaders in May this year.

"Dubai Municipality is focused on the goal of supporting community practices, which motivates both citizens and residents to produce sustainable local agriculture," Muhammad Abdul Rahman Al-Awadi, Director of the Agriculture Department at Dubai Municipality, was quoted as saying by WAM.

The initiative plays a crucial role in maintaining food security and preserving environmental resources as it is aligned with the National Food Security Strategy and Dubai Food Security Strategy objectives, as per Al-Awadi.

He said that these efforts position Dubai's reputation as a global leader in sustainability, encompassing aesthetics, the environment, and food security.

"The Municipality offers essential facilities to implement initiatives and programs to support the success of citizens' agricultural projects and encourage them to make use of available spaces in their gardens thus boosting proportions of the contributions made by small-scale domestic agricultural enterprises towards Dubai's domestic product ranges," he added.

Dubai Municipality has given one month to register for this competition on the official website. The participants need to provide their personal data, place number, location of the area planted (courtyard or rooftop), details of cultivated items, irrigation methods, and a picture of the garden in the online form.

Dubai Municipality will make the assessment on criteria, including the use of organic fertilizers and reduction of chemical fertilizers and soil free of weeds, the safety of plant varieties from pests and diseases through integrated control methods, and proper waste disposal and recycling of agricultural waste.