Palestine – Family in Gaza collects rainwater to irrigate their crops

Location: Gaza- Palestine

Language: Arabic

Voice: Natural

Duration: 00:04:40

Source: A24       

Restrictions: A24 Clients

Dateline: 26-01-2022

Storyline:

Safia Qudeih, 71 years old, works with her nine children to cultivate vegetables in a greenhouse, in southern Gaza, where they plant seeds and harvest their farm; their only source of income amid the grim conditions in the Strip.

All of her children work in the field throughout the year, as plants are grown in their seasons such as zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, wheat, and peas.

Safia incurred several challenges and significant financial losses as a result of a power outage, her inability to irrigate the plants, and the salinity of the water, which caused plants and trees diseases.

This made Safia depend on collecting rainwater in special basins that she use to irrigate trees and plants for the long term and avoid the saltwater, which improved her agricultural products and treated the land that was suffering from water salinity.

Shot list:

• (SOUNDBITE) Safiya Qudeih – Farmer:

“I start working in the field at 6 in the morning with my children. I come to the greenhouse; pick tomatoes and remove the grass. I sell and buy to support my children. We like this work, and this is our field, we can’t give it up, we work on it to live. We plant zucchini, broccoli, beets, and spinach. Every season has its crops.”

• (SOUNDBITE) Khaled Qudeih- Farmer:
• “We work in agriculture because there is no work or jobs. So we found agriculture is the best thing to do because the land is there, and our income will improve. We cultivate the land along with my mother and brothers. We incurred several problems inside the greenhouse, such as the salinity of water, power outage, and many diseases that affect the soil due to the salinity of the water. We got a project of collecting rainwater from the roof of the agricultural greenhouse. This water will be fresh and clean, reducing soil salinity, relieving some diseases such as mtaudia and physarum, in addition to other diseases. It also increases the production of the agricultural crop, instead of harvesting 8-10 tons per season in the dunams, with this water, the production reaches 15-16 tons. It is enough for one month to two, and in the winter we reduce the use of water because rain is constant”

Download link