20 women from Tirbespiye formed a co-operative called Rojava Wheat Spikes Agricultural Co-operative. The Economic Committee was so impressed they decided to give full support to the emerging co-operative. The co-op will cultivate 1,330 dunam (decares) of agricultural land. The women have already started cultivating wheat on 800 dunams.
530 dunams of agricultural land has been dedicated for the cultivation of lentils and chickpeas, based on a plan suggested by the Women’s Economy Committee in Tirbespiye. Women have joined the co-operative by buying shares, each of which is worth 100,000 SYP [around £160].
By March 2020, the co-operative had harvested 41 tons of vegetables and brought them to the market.
North and East Syria faces serious challenges in the fight against COVID-19. 600,000 IDPs and refugees live in camps across the region, their situation already precarious without a pandemic. Ongoing attacks by Turkish forces, Turkey-backed militias, and ISIS complicate the security situation and threaten essential civilian infrastructure like water lines. According to the Rojava Information Center,
The women's cooperatives in Tirbespiyê in Northern Syria are working on building alternatives despite the permanent threat of war and have meanwhile become examples of collective forms of work.
After the economic success of agricultural co-operatives in the last few years, 20 women from Tirbespiye formed a co-operative called Rojava Wheat Spikes Agricultural Co-operative. The Economic Committee was so impressed they decided to give full support to the emerging co-operative. The co-op will cultivate 1,330 dunam (decares) of agricultural land. The women have already started cultivating wheat on 800 dunams.
