It has long been
discussed previously about providing Qat-uprooters an effective alternative that
makes a fast income for Haraazi farmers. Different kinds of vegetation have
been tried, from cereals and pulses to vegetables like cucumber and capsicum.
But water being as valuable to Haraazis as oil, the income generated from these
crops and vegetables is very less.
In the past year we have tried and
grown several different crops and vegetables. In total 12 types of vegetables, 6
types of grains and beans and 1 fruit were cultivated in the year 2013. This
R&D work was conducted under the Green houses project in Darshaal Haraaz.
The results
proved that comparatively the most water-economical and most income generating
crop is Strawberry.
It has been a year since we first
planted strawberries. In total 800 mother plants were bought from Plant
Protection Center in Sana’a and were planted in 1 green house. Around 8000
runners or daughter plants were harvested from them in total in a period of 10
months. Around 400 kgs of strawberry have been harvested from the 1st
3000 runners till now and the harvesting is still going on. The target is to
harvest 350-400 grams of strawberries from a plant in a period of one year.
One can also grow strawberries in
Haraaz without green houses. The reason of growing strawberries in a green
house is that it will decrease the water usage for up to 20% because of
avoiding direct sunlight and will prevent damage to the plant and fruit from
hail, which is a major problem for Haraaz in monsoon.
Haraaz is a
very ideal place for growing strawberries because it is 5-7000 feet above sea
level, it has a pollution free environment and because of its height, the
barometric pressure is less which allows the strawberry to grow vigorously.
We hope to expand the strawberry
plantation in Haraaz in the coming few years and involve as many farmers as
possible to create more economical chances for them and for the green future of
Haraaz.