(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Grade 3 student of Gems Modern Academy Ayan Ali Ayyoubi has a hobby that is unusual for his age. He loves gardening and devotes all his spare time on gardening and researching on the benefits of the fruits and vegetables that he grows in his backyard. He then propagates the information on social media to encourage people to develop healthy eating habits.
Ayaan, along with his father, grows 100 per cent organic food in his backyard, which means, absolutely no pesticides or fertilisers. Ayaan ensures he uses only natural goods like manure, cow-dung and compost, and in place of pesticides he uses neem oil.
Talking about what got him started, Ayaan said he has grown up seeing his father practising gardening in his spare time.
"I would see my father, who works in the banking sector, read about different kinds of plants, vegetables, fruits and their seeds. He would then explain to me how these organic products are packed with nutrients and how we can grow them ourselves and reap their benefits. I was fascinated with this aspect and started helping him out and observing him while he sowed seeds of different plants," Ayaan said.
Apart from playing football, Ayaan is passionate about gardening so much that he loves going to nurseries to get information about different plants. He also talks about the benefits of consuming organic fruits and vegetables to his friends in order to encourage them to opt for healthy food rather than junk food, his father Mohammed Ali Aiyubi said.
"I had a huge garden plot in the backyard of my villa that I converted into a kitchen garden and more than me, one will find Ayaan here busy inspecting the fruits and vegetables that we are growing here. He keeps a check on which plant is growing, at what speed and when is the time to harvest which plant. I am glad that Ayaan is not only limiting the benefits of consuming healthy food to himself but is also constantly uploading his videos from the kitchen garden where he talks about the vegetable or fruit he harvests," Aiyubi said. Capturing all the action while he sows and harvests in his backyard, Ayaan uploads his videos on different social media platforms. The eight-year-old speaks eloquently about the vegetables while sowing and harvesting vegetables.
Ayaan is also an advocate of sustainability and recycles plastic containers by using them for gardening. He talks about different kinds of sustainable farming methods such as hydroponics and demonstrates how one can do sustainability farming at home.
"Ayaan watches a lot of educational channels and shows such as Masterchef and has honed his speaking skills. He wants to be a vlogger and soon we are planning to add all his videos on his YouTube channel. We as a family have always been inspired by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan''s vision of turning this desert into a Greenland. To carry that forward and show our gratitude not only towards UAE but also to our planet, we encouraged Ayaan to develop his passion and document it so others his age can get inspired too," his father said.
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