During the holidays he went to a lot-et-coronais desert that had fallen under the spell of Dubai and left everything to settle, and built a farm to produce fruits and vegetables. He carried with him his childhood memories from his grandparents’ farm in Saint-Etienne de Focerres and from a rhythmic adolescence between Villeneuve-sur-Lode and Agen. He gave us a long interview to discuss this crazy life change.
Who has never dreamed of a radical change in their lives? However, Lot-ed-Coronois, Mohamed Assoui, born in the bastard of Villeneuve-sur-Lot, did not force fate. This change happened “naturally” at the start of a completely hilarious trip to Dubai. The incredible architectural city with its magnificent beach and its luxurious splendor has become clear. “I was there to see friends who immigrated there,” he says. He fell in love with this place in the United Arab Emirates. “Like an opportunity” he had to seize. Lot-ed-Coronois takes its full eye, but “already begins a reflection”.
The courage of the beginning
“I’m been at a crossroads in my career. We look forward to the challenges ahead. Dubai offers impressive potential,” Villenovois explains. With a certain fear “a change.
“Old, I don’t think I would have done the same,” smiles Thirty-one, all with a good capital of “self-confidence.”
It was an incredible success by many French people every year. Also, the deportees were honored by the Newell Observer who visited them in this country a few days ago. Mohammed Assoui is an example.
Anyway, his Emirati life is somewhat impressive. This lover of the countryside did not take long to find his marks and stand alone.
Mohammed in his fields
First, it is in its engineering field. Works at a company that makes custom drones. Quickly, one thing became clear to him: “I realized there were so many beautiful buildings, so many beautiful cars and so many beautiful women. Everything is beautiful except for one thing: the food ”.
A project to “nurture family heritage”
He did not hide his frustration by eating “tasteless” fruits and vegetables. “And at a higher price even if it changes,” he underscores.
The origin of his completely crazy plan: Growing fruits and vegetables in the middle of the desert. A bold and paid bet for Mohamed Assou who “wanted to renew his heritage from an ordinary family”. His youth suddenly reappears.
“My grandparents lived near Saint-Etienne-de-Foucault. I spent most of my weekends and holidays there. I grew up in the middle of the countryside, ”he says, slipping away without hiding a particular nostalgia.
To that extent he loaded the seeds “without really knowing what to do”. One day, like the others, the children were looking for an activity around the block. “I gave them cucumber and melon seeds.” He still laughs about it today. As with magic, magic works. He continues: “They started planting and it was successful. My farm Dubai project was born thanks to the kids ”.
The reflection begins with his “agricultural or energy knowledge” accumulated during his studies at the Agency or during his career. An equation to solve: “How do such species fit into the desert”. Luck favors the brave. She looks at Mohammed again and smiles. Based on the strength of multiple meetings, he builds partnerships that allow him to get started. He multiplies the tests “with 20% success”. It is most needed in the exhausted lot-et-coronoise in the shade that oscillates between 47 and 49 C – at present – in an environment that seems hostile to terrain conquest with its temperatures. “In full sun, you can reach over 65 C,” he insists. Temperatures can be “devastating to everything” especially in a state where it never rains. “Nothing has fallen since it rained for two weeks last week.”
Tomato specialty
With determination and partnership, he achieves the unthinkable. Compost is made mainly to compost the sandy soil. A sine qua for growing fruits and vegetables. He started with 150 types. “Today, we are 900 years old,” he notes, with the dominance of tomatoes, the “No. 1 fruit”. It is a courage to impress the best star-studded chefs who work in the largest palaces of this state.
His Emirati farm is in production for “nine to ten months”, where everything is automated based on irrigation. Mohamed Izoui employs two workers on his farm. “We have practically no waste, not even a refrigerator to store things.” Consumers are coming to pick fruits and vegetables “as soon as they are good to eat.” Just giving him a big smile is enough to give him such immeasurable joy in the middle of the desert.
Mohammed Assoui in his Emirati lands
Create the opposite of what Dubai offers
On his farm, which is located “twenty minutes from Burj Khalifa”, the tallest tower in the world, Lord-ed-Coronois wants to continue his journey. Like working with star chefs like Heinz Beck, Christoph Hardickest or Gregor Berger. He has invested in the most beautiful restaurants in the emirate with his “100% Organic, 0% Fertilizer” products.
It is full of projects related to the development of my farm Dubai. Thirty something did not intend to stop there. More than ever, he wants to be a part of this legacy “from producer to consumer”. “I want to lead, I want to constantly get my hands dirty,” he slips mischievously.
He does not count his time, as if setting a good example. “The other evening, at 11pm, a pipe exploded and we had to go.”
Welfare Farm
In this line of organic products, it also exemplifies the breeding of chickens and hens. “With egg production”. More wonder in the middle of the desert.
Apparently, nothing confuses the brave entrepreneur with his idea and his path. At the Emirati reactor, like the overcrowding of this country, he wants to focus on the well-being of his farm growth. “Make it a place for people to relax and sit down with a relaxing yoga session. Make time to relax and take a break from reading before you go into your daily life,” he reveals.
Which he lacks in Lot-ed-Coron
Of course he “loses his own land”. Over 7,000 kilometers, he has not forgotten anything. “I miss the horrible smell of this country. The smell of morning snow tickles your nose, just like one finds when one walks in the woods.” Without forgetting these colors, “this green with different shades” – can not be expressed in these desert lands. It is now two and a half years since he returned. Last year, he was due to return, but his plans were thwarted by a health crisis linked to Govt-19.
He continues to proudly show his “47 roots.” “I set up this farm with her …”
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