Hydroponic gardens allow families in Palestine to create gardens in small spaces
Nehad, 46, is delighted to show off the flourishing crop of vegetables she planted in her rooftop garden in the Jalazone Refugee Camp north of Ramallah. Right now, the cucumbers are ripe, and she offers some of her freshly harvested crisp vegetables to guests.
Anera installed the garden on Nehad’s rooftop only a few months ago. The mother of four planted cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and molokhia.
Seeing all the green vegetation already thriving, it’s hard to believe that before this project, her rooftop sat empty. Anera’s rooftop gardens program is designed to foster food self-sufficiency and combat food insecurity by allowing vulnerable families to cultivate their own seasonal crops.
The new rooftop garden has provided Nehad with the opportunity to grow produce and spend time tending to her crops.
As Nehad points out, this project is the first of its kind in Jalazone Refugee Camp. Although she has been fond of gardening since she was young, life in a refugee camp with no space for family gardens made it impossible to grow any crops.
Nehad says that her primary goal with the rooftop is “to feed my family.” And they can sell any produce that they can’t consume at the local market.
“The project is not only helpful but enjoyable,” she says as she plucks a few more ripe cucumbers.
