Ground-leveling for the greenhouses and fertilizing it for transferring the seedlings

Zahra Haji al-Ali, 42, and Maha Hussein al-Ali, 24, started to plow the soil inside the two greenhouses and to clean them from weeds and remnants of previous crops, leveling and fertilizing them in preparation for the production phase and transferring seedling trays to the two greenhouses.     

Both Zahra and Maha are now working on leveling the soil, determining the beginning and end of the greenhouse, and adding potassium sulfate fertilizer which helps the plants in the photosynthesis process and increases flowering, in addition to strengthening the fruit in terms of shape and structure. Besides, to complete the processes of preparing the technical structure inside the greenhouse.

Both girls joined the team of the Green Fingertips project, launched by GAV4RD in mid-September 2021, as part of its efforts to support the agricultural sector and empower women economically.

Zahra says the greenhouses are a good opportunity to improve the economic and social reality of women, especially with the remarkable spread of them in the southern countryside of Raqqa.  

“I spend most of my time plowing the soil, cleaning it and making terraces. The greenhouse is divided into five terraces, so that seedlings are placed on each terrace on both sides, to ensure that the plants are raised above the ground and reduce the damage of excessive moisture,” she adds.  

Zahra, who has been providing for her five children since her husband’s death, points to the importance of working in agriculture as a way to improve her economic conditions and empower her in modern farming skills to ensure raising the level of production.

As for Maha, who has been providing for her two children since her husband’s death, she was also able to prepare, level and fertilize the soil of the greenhouse with the help of a team of agricultural engineers and technicians, in preparation for the transfer of seeding trays and seedlings.  

Maha, who works in the field of winter and summer vegetable cultivation, says she is determined to make this project a success and to acquire new skills in this field.

The Green Fingertips project comes in the context of GAV4RD endeavor to support the agricultural sector and provide permanent and stable livelihoods for women, in order to enhance their chances of resilience in facing life’s challenges, and increase their chances of playing a leading role in the economic, social and political fields in the future.

The project, which will last for three months, provides investment opportunities for thirty female beneficiaries by providing model greenhouses with all the necessary requirements to produce integrated agricultural crops and market them locally, and to develop their skills in the field of care, irrigation and fertilization according to the latest technologies.

The project will provide the female beneficiaries with training in the field of professional marketing to ensure that they have a fair opportunity to compete in the local labor market, in line with the agricultural and technical support plan that will be presented by the organization’s team during the project period in an attempt to provide them with the necessary capabilities to ensure the long-term continuity of the project.  

This project also comes in response to the large needs in the field of livelihoods and securing stable job opportunities for women, and securing part of the local market needs of winter crops, which contributes to reducing prices that may be reflected on the economic and social situations.