‘We are happy, thanks NHLP’: Sar-i-Pul women

SAR-I-PUL (Pajhwok): Hundreds of women have grown vegetables in 1,500 green houses across northern Sar-i-Pul province to economically support their families, thanks to the National Horticulture and Livestock Program (NHLP).

The women have also been trained in growing different vegetables and how to look after the plants.

Noria, 34, a resident of Nawabad locality in Sar-i-Pul City, the provincial capital, is one of those women. She told Pajhwok Afghan News that a vegetable greenhouse on her 250 square meter land was established four months back under the NHLP.

She said female trainers taught women how to prepare soil for planting various seeds of vegetables and looking after the plants.

Noria said now she was “very happy” because she earned and supported her family this way.

In winter, her seven-member family used vegetables she produced at her green house and also provided free vegetables to her neighbors.

Now she plans to grow vegetables on her remaining land.

Noria, a mother of five children, said: “It is good when life is moving nicely and now I can help my husband in meeting our home expenses.”

Nasrin, 20, a resident of Bagh Kocha area, said NHLP built a greenhouse on a 250 square meters area and imparted her training how to grow vegetables.

The eldest among her six siblings, Nasrin says her father is a driver who hardly can meet family needs. Due economic problems, she was unable to continue her education beyond high school graduation (12th class).

“The NHLP helped us build a good vegetables tent and trained us how to protect the tent, how to pack vegetables — now we are professional farmers,” she said.

Nasrin added though her green house was not big yet she cultivated different types of vegetables and earned 1,0000 afghanis last season.

“I can cultivate using several methods and now I want to extend the cultivation to others land in order to have more income.”

She urged the Sari-i-Pul agriculture, irrigation and livestock department to provide women with improvised seeds of vegetables.

Naseema Arzo, the women affairs’ director, said her department in coordination with NHLP created small green houses for needy and widows women to enable them to stand on their own feet.

According to her information, 1, 500 small green houses have been constructed in Sari-i-Pul and some districts, in which deferent types of vegetables are cultivated.

She said women after bringing their produce to the market earned money and financially supported their families. She called green houses for women as key to their economic independence and a best way to avoid violence.

Meanwhile, Farzana Yousufi, green house project director at NHLP, told Pajhwok Afghan News that they could extend the program to all parts of the province if security situation was improved.

NHLP officials say besides establishing small green houses they also planted 4, 000 gardens of ten types of fruits in Sar-i-Pul.

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