Dubai: Meet Brent D’Souza (15) with 2 colleagues on mission ‘Eat Local, Live Local’

Bellevision Media Network

Dubai, 11 Feb 2022: In a world so dependent on imported food, Brent D’Souza, 15-year-old student in Dubai has teamed up with two other students, Eric and Edwin to spread awareness about the local produce, prioritizing them over imported foods.

 

 

Trios who are studying in high school are acutely aware that embracing social responsibility in buying local produce is connected to increased health, environment and economic benefits. They view National Food Security Strategy 2051 as one of the UAE’s most important challenges and believe it is a shared responsibility which every individual of the UAE’s population of 9.89 million has a role to play.

 

To that extent, they have launched a campaign on food called ‘Eat Local, Live Local’. Their first instinct is to make sure that as many people as possible are aware of the local produce. They care about it and they want others to care about it as much as they do. They reason that if people knew that 50–60 percent of the nutrients are lost during the long periods of storage of imported food, they are more likely to make a transition to the regionally cultivated food. And if people only knew that opting for fresh local produce is critical to reducing carbon footprints, then they would choose it every time.

 

Currently, UAE has steered its path to cater 20 percent of the nation’s food needs, overcoming obstacles such as scarcity of water resources, intense desert heat and soil salinity. What began as traditional cultivation centered around oasis, UAE has grown to find innovative solutions and adapted latest technologies to grow tomatoes of the finest quality, variety of lettuce, eggplants, cauliflowers, corn, banana, mangoes, cucumbers and zucchini to name a few. In the next 10 years, UAE has plans in place to increase production to 30-40 percent of the country’s needs.

 

‘The rewards of buying UAE produce are endless’, beams Eric with a sense of pride, ‘It not only promotes food safety and keeps epidemics away, but also reduces the risk of diseases that are brought about by the addition of additives.’

 

Edwin, another co-founder of ’Eat Local, Live Local’ has something more to add, he says, ‘It is important, more than ever, to support local farmers. By supporting local farmers today, we are ensuring that there will be local farms in our community tomorrow and that is one step forward towards sustainability.’

 

Steps to go local

   Know the supermarket closest to your place that mostly sells local produce.

           Prioritize local products of UAE over imported.                                                               

           Support local farmers and Fair Trade markets.

           Spread the word.

           Embrace social responsibility.

           Demand locally grown food in school canteens/university cafeteria.

           Best memories can be the ‘Farm Memories’. So, make the most of the farm tours of UAE.

           Be the ambassadors of ‘Eat Local, Live local’.