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Bahrain’s organic farmers are looking to merge age-old wisdom and cutting-edge technology to nurture the food of the future in light of the impact on the supply chain by Covid-19.
Food security is at the forefront of the sustainability development goals, supported by the government, and Northern Farm, in Barbar, has seen a growing interest in recent weeks from families for its sustainably-grown fruits and vegetables.
Ahmed Ayoob, 37, owner and operator of the two-year-old boutique farm, told GulfWeekly: “Orders from our usual clients, high-end restaurants and hotels, have declined but households, especially expat families, have been coming directly to the farm to get their produce and teach their children more about farming, which is great!
“We want to educate people about this sector to show them it is an industry of the future, not just from a bygone era. A growing number of people are genuinely concerned about where their food comes from, and we also want to show them that the kingdom doesn’t have to import all its produce.”
The 10,000-sqm farm may be smaller than many industrial enterprises, but it is aiming to bring cutting-edge techniques like aquaponics to the farm, applying a permaculture-inspired circular system around the facility.
Permaculture is a set of agricultural and ecosystem design principles that has seen a resurgence in recent years. The aim is to waste nothing, with every plant and animal playing its part in the cultivation process.
For example, at Ahmed’s farm, five goats, in addition to providing milk feast on weeds that usually drain nutrients from crops, while also generating natural fertiliser.
The 200 chickens peck away at pests when they are not laying or fertilising eggs. In addition to making honey, bees moonlight as pollinators. The farm even has a medium-sized plant-based compost pit that turns plant-waste into fertiliser to seasonally nourish the soil.
The result is a farm system that nourishes itself year-over-year, while producing delicious fruit and vegetables, free of hormones, insecticides and pesticides.
After gaining his bachelor’s degree in information technology at the University of Bahrain, he completed his post-graduate education at Griffith University in Australia, where he witnessed farmers intelligently developing ways to grow healthier crops. The emu, the ostrich’s Australian cousin, on his farm, pays homage to those efforts.
After returning to Bahrain he continued to cultivate his passion for plants despite forging a successful corporate career before taking the bold step of starting his own farm. Ahmed explained: “It is incredibly rewarding work. We are always happy to have people stop by, pick some fruit, spend some time with our friendly animals and learn more about us.
“In the coming months, we’re putting in an aquaponics system, which I’m thrilled about. In this, we create a symbiotic environment between plants, which purify the water, and aquatic animals, whose excretions provide nitrates for the plants.”
Follow @northernfarm_bh on Instagram for more information.
