Kerala farmers take on the challenge of growing rice in Qatar

While most Qatar residents’ eyes are drawn to Doha’s skyline, now bursting with cranes and skyscrapers, Ambhara Pavithran prefers to set her sights on the ground.

Along with two other residents – Jisha Krishnan and Meena Philip – the 52-year-old is working to cultivate Qatar’s first rice paddy, no small feat given the country’s merciless weather and arid land.

The trio are co-founders of the local chapter of Adukkalathottam (kitchen garden), a Facebook group that encourages organic farming among Keralites all over the world.

With a current membership of some 600 local residents and over 30,000 worldwide, the page, written almost exclusively in the Malayalam language, is a sounding board for one of the most ambitious agricultural endeavors in Qatar.

The Gulf state imports more than 90 percent of its food, and has working in recent years to boost its food security.

Original article:

Kerala farmers take on the challenge of growing rice in Qatar