Back to Basics
Qatar experiments with organic farming to produce more home-grown products
By Nadia Ismail

Qatar's food production will soon take on a whole new meaning, with the proposed introduction of organic farming to the country. Under a new scheme introduced by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture (MMAA), the beginnings of research into this type of farming's viability in QatarÕs conditions are getting under way.
It will, after intense research has taken place, be an expansion on the theme of environmentally friendly agriculture.

Hopes for the Future
Organic produce isn't altogether an alien idea to the GCC region, with small-scale pilot schemes already functioning in the UAE. Following in these footsteps, Qatar has decided to experiment with the system to produce more home-grown products as an alternative to its current heavy reliance on imported food.
Despite Qatar's limited agricultural sector, the MMAA has big plans for future expansion, taking in organic meat production as well as that of fruit and vegetables. Unlike other farms of its kind in the region, research in Qatar will also cover the complete range of issues and ideas related to organic farming, including studies of viruses and fungi, in addition to the role of insects as a natural pesticide and the economic viability of home-based organic farming.
One aspiration behind this government-funded research is to gain enough information from its experiments to be able to advise potential farmers on climate-specific intricacies of the field. Sheikh Faleh bin Nasser Al Thani, Director General at the MMAA's Department for Agriculture Research Development, comments, At this stage, we will test the available technologies in this area, and make adjustments to those technologies that will suit the conditions in Qatar.

Organic Farming Specifics

• Practiced in over 100 countries, with more than 24 million hectares under organic management.
• Australia has the highest amount of organic farming, with around 10 million hectares.
  Argentina follows, with 3 million hectares of land for organic use.
  
• North America has the highest growth rate of organic farming land in the world, at 30% growth per year.
  
• Global sales of organic food and drink have increased by 43 percent between 2002 and 2005.
  (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements)

In spite of concerns over pesticide use in non-organic farming, Sheikh Faleh Al Thani emphasised the difficulty of completely eliminating chemicals from organic farming. This would, in the case of Qatar's organic farms, call for an integration of organic and inorganic farming methods, with a very limited and heavily controlled use of chemicals in the process. This would produce food that is both environmentally friendly and non-hazardous for human consumption at the same time.

Basic Science
As with organic farming elsewhere, parasites will be used as a natural pest control, with some chemical intervention to prevent mass devastation from disease. Of the known natural pests that affect crops in Qatar, such as the red palm weavel and black fly, most have known natural predators which can survive Qatar's harsh climactic conditions. These can be brought into the country, even in small quantities, to propagate into formidable natural barriers to the spread of disease. The trick will be balancing the ratio between the pest and the natural predator, doing a lot to save the environment.

A further hurdle that needs to be cleared on completion of research would be to set quality controls regulating farm productivity, of which Qatar currently has none. For the MMAA, these standards would go a long way to helping them ensure that what is labelled organic, is genuinely so. Although there are teams who travel from farm to farm checking adherence to environmental protection rules, no such regulations cover the quality of food produced in Qatar, let alone that imported into the country. This is a serious short-coming, that many feel allows farms to take short-cuts. The solution includes bringing together the Ministries of Commerce and Health in addition to the MMAA in the coming months, to devise the necessary regulations, covering both animal and vegetable farming.

Mixed Messages
Even with the beginnings of organic farming in Qatar, there is still much uncertainty over market demand for such products.
Some shops here do sell organic fruit and vegetables, so this does suggest some consumer interest. With time, it is hoped that the confidence would grow enough, in spite of rising worldwide food-costs, for residents and locals to consider organics as a viable alternative. And interest so far has been particularly prevalent in the private sector and with individuals; both areas which will be have the capital to invest in this type of agricultural scheme.

People feel confident when food is produced locally, because they will know, whether or not, and how far, the government is monitoring the quality, commented Sheikh Faleh of the situation, adding, They can be more certain of what checks are being made and how far the regulations are being implemented.

Uncertain Future
As things stand, it would be an expensive and time-consuming process to convert barren desert into cultivatable land suitable for growing crops and rear animals. Nevertheless, this is is an option that can't be passed over in the long run. According to Sheikh Faleh Al Thani, It's important to look at the organic portion of the system Ð the more sustainability we will have. So we can all look forward for an era when Qatar can boost of being self-sufficient in feeding its own population n
ÒAt this stage, we will test the available technologies in this area, and make adjustments to those technologies that will suit the conditions in Qatar.