An Agricultural Project to Support the Women’s Economy and Break the Siege

This is an translation from an Arabic article by Sulafa Ibrahim that first appeared on Hawar News on 10 December, 2016.

The Women’s Committee in the People’s Council has been supporting agriculture and planning to implement more agricultural projects managed by women.

Among the many projects of the Women’s Committee in the People’s Council in Hasakah [Hesekê / Hesîçe / Al-Hasakah] is an agricultural project in the Al-Mufti neighbourhood of Hasakah. The project started six months ago, and is managed by six women who will also sell the products. There are also women farmers whose job is to plough and irrigate the land.

The area of the agricultural land is 7.4 acres and the farmers have planted 5 acres with ten kinds of vegetables: parsley, lettuce, cabbage, cress, carrots, radicchio, beetroot, onions, spinach and beans. The remaining 2,4 acres will be planted with raspberries in May.

60% of profits will be distributed to the farmers and 40% to the workers in the project.

Hamidya Musa, an administrator in the the executive office of the Women’s Committee, said, “We have been working on this agricultural project to increase women’s income and to provide the market with products made by women, as well as to increase women’s contribution to her family and society.”

Hamidya said that this kind of initiative will improve the economy and so therefore they will be implementing more projects like this.