Students engaged in preparing the land for the programme.

Qur’anic Botanic Garden (QBG), a member of Qatar Foundation (QF), has launched a food security programme for high school students. The initiative aims to promote the value of food security by motivating young people to engage with the country’s endeavours in meeting the community’s need for agricultural products.
The programme encourages young Qataris to study subjects that address modern agriculture methods to make it easier to overcome environmental problems facing farmers and make investment feasible in the sector, especially in light of the ongoing blockade.
The QBG programme is in accordance with the high directives of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, on July 21, 2017, which directed that society, businesspersons, investors, and government sectors work together to diversify sources of income, increase the pace of food security projects, and increase the area of agriculture.
The first part of the programme, which began in October 2017, is due to conclude by the end of January 2018. The second batch for girls will start in the first week of February 2018 and run to the end of April 2018.
The programme comprises 12 workshops focusing on modern agricultural techniques in Qatar. These include: land preparation and processing for agriculture; soil and its characteristics and the suitability of each type for certain types of agricultural crops; identification of modern irrigation methods, and models being used in Qatar and other nations;  Qatari climate conditions; improved seeds and their vital role in agricultural developments; integrated pest management; plant nutrition for access to high yield; opportunities and challenges of organic agriculture initiatives in Qatar; hydroponics agriculture techniques.
The programme  also aims to introduce trainees to the marketing mechanisms of Qatari agricultural products and the role in supporting food security in Qatar and identifying national initiatives to support agriculture in Qatar. QBG offers an educational field trip for students to learn about the country’s leading farms in agricultural production.
Fatima Saleh al-Khulaifi, manager, QBG, said: “This important programme takes in 60 students who have been nominated from 12 schools. The workshops have been designed to contain theoretical and practical content that meet all student expectations and ensures the information is easily relayed. The lessons are presented by experts in the field of agriculture from Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Qatar Development Bank, and Al Meera, in addition to others from the private sector.”


Related Story