Seedlings of Green Fingertips project are now indoors

Feryal Mahmoud al-Hajji, 28, and Manar Hadid al-Jarjab, 31, started planting seedlings inside the greenhouse, after they had been completely grown.

This phase, which was accompanied by hanging climbing strings inside the greenhouses, is considered the last before the phase of the actual production process and harvesting begins.  

Both Feryal and Manar have been working over the course of time to create the conditions for this type of protected agriculture since their joining the Green Fingertips project, which was launched by GAV4RD organization in mid-September 2021, to support the agricultural sector and empower women economically. 

Feryal seeks, as she moves the small seedlings from the nurseries to the soil of the greenhouse in a specific order, to take advantage of the climbing strings that help the plants grow vertically to reach the crop holder wire, under the supervision of agricultural engineers and technicians.  

Feryal, who heads her family of three, says, the growth of the plants may reach approximately two and a half meters, and it can be increased according to the timing of production. She tries to monitor the temperature through a special clock inside the greenhouse so that it maintains it between (20 to 30 degrees) through a special program for opening and closing its doors in coordination with the project’s agricultural engineers and technicians.  

As for Manar, who used to head her family of three depending on simple farming, says: “I work daily inside the greenhouse to create the conditions for this project, and here we have reached the last phase and we have started to transfer the seedlings, so that the phase of monitoring the crop by controlling the temperature and humidity and taking care of plants over the course of time starts.”  

After the project allowed her to work in this type of protected agriculture, Manar added that production now depends on monitoring and controlling the internal environment of greenhouses and spraying fertilizers under the supervision of specialized agricultural engineers.

Both Feryal and Manar pointed out that producing an integrated crop depends on permanent monitoring of the indoor greenhouse conditions, and taking care of the plants until they reach the required growth before reaping the fruits.

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.