Tomato and cucumber seedlings are ready to be transported to greenhouses

Fouzah Mustafa al-Mustafa, 48, and Mona Khalil al-Ramadan, 41,  are preparing to transfer the seedlings to the two greenhouses after the success of the germination process and the completion of the work of preparing the internal environment of the two greenhouses.

After they joined the team of female beneficiaries within the project of Green Fingertips launched by GAV4RD in mid-September 2021, as part of its efforts to support the agricultural sector and empower women economically, Fouzah and Mona watched the growth of young seedlings since they have planted them in trays, coinciding with the preparation of greenhouses.  

“Since the beginning of the seeding, I daily monitor the conditions in which the seeds were placed, such as the temperature and soil moisture, in coordination with the agricultural engineers team,” Fouzah said.  

“Tomato seeds took 10 days to germinate, and their growth rate has now reached %100, with the continued monitoring of weather and humidity, and the provision of adequate ventilation and watering. The same thing is applicable for cucumber seeds which need toxic baits and pesticides in order to protect them from harmful insects,” she added.  

Fouzah, who provides for her five children relying on simple farming, sees the greenhouse project as an opportunity to develop and improve her economic level, and to gain more experience and skills in the field of protected agriculture.  

As for Mona, she also works to monitor the seeding trays of tomato and cucumber seeds, in preparation for their transfer to the indoor greenhouse environment for the start of the season.

She helped the agricultural engineers team to prepare the indoor environment of the greenhouse such as leveling the soil and cleaning it of plants and weeds, hanging the climbing strings of the plant and creating the appropriate environmental conditions.

Mona, who provides for her nine children, said she is racing against time and waiting for the start of her first agricultural season by relying on protected agriculture within the greenhouse.

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.