Reviving Qidfa

The enduring older generation

Ahmad Sabir moves slowly among a line of palm trees, cautiously navigating the uneven terrain with the support of his walking stick. This Emirati has dedicated his life to this farm, witnessing its transformation from a thriving agricultural hub to mostly ceremonial.

As one of the elder inhabitants of Qidfa, Mr Sabir is uncertain about his exact age. Sitting on a well-worn couch near the farm's entrance, he ventures a guess. "I don't know how old I am – maybe 100, 110, or 120. I've spent my entire life on this farm, and from the day I gained consciousness, I have been here," he said.

Mr Sabir has 16 children, but they have all left the farm and their home behind in pursuit of opportunities elsewhere. Over the years, the farm has transitioned from producing a diverse range of fruits and vegetables to primarily a date palm plantation.

“Our life depended on farming, palm trees and animals. That was our life. People here literally lived on their farms and off palm trees and animals and some on the sea," he said.

“I was born a farmer. This area used to just be mud. We didn’t have fertilisers or anything. It was mud and stone. We would load it onto donkeys and build our houses and then I started growing everything. I planted everything. The water was sweet and came from the sea. You could plant anywhere.

"I planted everything on this farm — eggplants, okra, watermelon, tomatoes — anything and everything," he reminisced.

Much of the farm's produce found its way to local markets.

"Farming is a blessing, palm trees are a blessing,” said Mr Sabir.

“In the beginning in the UAE, we lived on farming and palm trees. There was no petrol, no companies. We planted oats, barley, and everything. If we planted onions, they would last until the next year. We didn't import onions, tomatoes, flour — everything came from here, nothing from outside. Rice, maybe we got from outside if it was necessary or for special occasions like weddings or guests. We didn't know what sugar was. We only knew coffee, dates, cow's milk, ghee, and bread from the farm. In the past, we didn't import flour or anything. It all came from the same place — our farms."

Today, Mr Sabir's farm is predominantly populated by date palms, which he still climbs to harvest the dates. His children rarely visit, and the occasional tomato plant stands withered and parched. It is a mere shadow of its former self, with irrigation systems seldom in use.

About 40 per cent of Qidfa consists of farmland, housing 261 farms, many of which resemble Mr Sabir's. Some have transitioned to cultivating only palm trees, while others have opted for a few specific fruits or vegetables. Yet, the once vibrant farms that boasted mangoes, pomegranates, watermelons and berries now stand as relics of the past.

Connecting the dots

Rashid Al Mulla, project manager for Qidfa development, is looking forward to seeing the village transformed.

He said the planned foot paths and cycle tracks would facilitate easier visits by tourists to the farms, breathing life into the village.

"We are going to have different aspects to help tourism,” he said. “We are going to open some of the farms for tourists to experience, for example, date harvesting and staying in one of the farms."

Opening the farms to visitors will not only promote tourism but also provide farmers an opportunity to commercialise their farms, generating income that can be reinvested to improve their agricultural ventures.

Mr Al Mulla said the Emirates Council for Rural Development chose to begin with Qidfa because of the village’s unique terrain and unique history.

"Qidfa has different elements — there are the farms and the coastal side of the village. It also has so much history, like the village itself has some artefacts and archaeological sites that date back to 2000 BC,” he said, referring to a discovered burial ground from the Wadi Suq period that unearthed hundreds of weapons, pottery, coins and even an ostrich egg — now on display at Fujairah Museum.

“What we are trying to do is shed light on some of those sites and create more tourism. Another aspect is that one of the main scholars lived in this area, and there is a mosque and a mountain named after him."

The scholar in question is Ibn Duraid, a renowned grammarian from Basra in Iraq, hailed as "the most accomplished scholar, ablest philologer, and first poet of the age".

Work on the footpaths and cycling routes has already begun, marking a historic change for Qidfa as cyclists can now be seen pedalling around the farms.

Before launching the project, representatives from ECRD spoke with the people of Qidfa to understand their needs, and access to their farms topped the list.

"Many farmers found it difficult to reach their farms. They would reach it riding a donkey, but it was impossible to get a car through to get necessities or to move their produce, for example,” said Mr Al Mulla.

As a result, the project prioritised creating this much-needed access for the farmers. Consequently, numerous farms that were once abandoned or inaccessible are now within reach. Paths have been carefully planned around and through the farms, accompanied by the extension of essential water lines.

Mr Al Mulla said the project serves not only to promote tourism but also seeks to bring farm owners back to their farms. Soon, these farms will be open to the public, fostering a renewed connection between the local community and their agricultural heritage.

Ali Al Dhanhanni

Qidfa has a community of about 500 fishermen but Ali Al Dhanhanni, 43, stands out as one of just four who practice a specific fishing method known as aldagwa. This technique, common in Oman, involves casting a large net into the sea and hauling it to shore from either end using cars. The technique is used to catch small fish.

Mr Al Dhanhanni, a father of four, spends his days at sea, dedicating himself to fishing.

"My main job is the sea — fishing. I fish every day, following the seasonal patterns. Currently, it's the season for bariya fish [anchovy] and for the next three to four months, I'll be fishing from 4pm to 4.30am until 6pm to 7pm."

The anchovies he catches are dried, packaged in bags, and sold to buyers who export them to countries including Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Mr Al Dhanhanni hauls in about 1.5 tonnes of fish each day, loading them onto his fleet of cars.

With a team of approximately 25 workers who join him daily, he generates about Dh100,000 in profit every two to three months. However, he clarified: "This is my net profit after I cover the costs and pay the workers, who receive half."

Mr Al Dhanhanni's monthly expenses for fuel and equipment amount to more than Dh50,000. He inherited this profession from his father and has been involved in fishing since his childhood, learning the trade from his father, who died two years ago.

“This profession is the profession of our forefathers. I encourage people to fish. It is a good source of income. It is tiring work but you also feel the taste of life and the taste of earning money. It is like nothing else.”

He described his work schedule as relentless, with days off contingent on weather.

"I have no days off; my break depends on the weather. If it's rainy or windy, we can't venture out to sea. But I can't complain; I enjoy this job. If there were greater economic gain, I would encourage my children to do it," he said.

The new project aims to assist fishermen in selling their catch directly on the coast. Additionally, a small rest area or "majlis" is under construction for the fishermen to use.

“Today in Qidfa there are three fishermen like me, and this project will benefit thousands of people. It will increase tourism and help us in many ways. There will be shops and restaurants in this area for us to sell our fish,” he said.