AMEINAH ALZEYOUDI (ABU DHABI)
Every planting season, the seedlings at Emirati farmer Marwan Saif Rashid Al Mazrouei's nursery sell out fast. It's how he knows that more people, it seems, want to get their hands in the soil.
His plantation in Ras Al Khaimah is a dense tangle of trees and vines, producing more than 10,000 grapevines and seedlings - figs, mulberries, lemons and more - every season. He said even that isn't enough to keep up with demand, especially between September and April, the UAE's prime planting window.
By the usual rules of economics, that kind of demand should drive prices up, but Al Mazrouei has resisted the pull and always kept his seedlings affordable.
Explaining why, he told Aletihad: "I wanted to ensure everyone has access to agriculture and encourage more households to grow fruit-bearing trees."
Beyond keeping prices low, he offers discounts around national holidays and gives free advice to anyone curious about growing their own plants.
On social media, he regularly walks his thousands of followers through the greenery he lives among, explaining how different fruits and plants are taken care of.
"I believe spreading information is crucial to advancing agriculture nationwide," he said.
For Al Mazrouei, agriculture is a passion planted in his childhood as he grew up on his family's farm. Under his father's guidance, he learned to plant and tend crops, but also absorbed the patience, perseverance, self-belief that farming instils.
It was his father who first nudged him to work the land, turning a childhood pastime into a lifelong pursuit and eventually his own nursery, specialising in local fruit trees.
None of it came easily. About eight years ago, he began experimenting with tree propagation through cuttings. And in his first attempt, only 20 of 200 fig cuttings survived.
Rather than walk away, he studied the process closely, pinpointed the best timing for planting and trimming, and refined his technique season after season.
Today, his success rate stands at 95%, a number he still takes quiet pride in, and a reminder of how far persistence can carry a person.
He's quick to note the success isn't his alone. Government support played a real role: He was exempted from commercial licensing fees for his nursery's first three years, and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment continues to back him - buying trees from his nursery and staying in regular touch to support regional agricultural output.
Now Al Mazrouei wants to pass it forward by helping other farmers and encouraging newcomers to plant their first seedling. He hopes his work inspires the next generation to take up farming and help shape a more sustainable future for the UAE.