Qatar Charity, with the support of philanthropists in Qatar, has distributed and installed dozens of solar-powered irrigation units for internally displaced farmers in northern Syria, to contribute to reducing production costs and uplifting the standard of living.

50 solar-powered irrigation units have been distributed to the most vulnerable farmers in Jindires, a town located in the Afrin District of the Aleppo Governorate.

The irrigation units come as part of the ‘Support Vegetable Value Chain’ project, which aims to support 200 summer vegetable farmers with the necessary agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, pesticides and drip irrigation networks. The project also aims to provide agricultural guidance on the best means to achieve the highest level of vegetable production at the lowest costs, give remunerative profits to the farmers, and provide vegetables at the lowest prices in the market.

As economic empowerment is one of the key areas of Qatar Charity’s work, the project aims to promote income-generating projects. It seeks to ensure the principle of sustainability while taking care of the environment and contributing to limiting global warming by using solar technologies. Solar-powered irrigation units have been developed based on studies and field surveys.

The project is expected to contribute to lessening the economic burdens on farms by providing the necessary fuel for irrigation, in addition to directly irrigating through the drip irrigation network connected with the alternative energy irrigation unit.

Muhammad Taha Al-Ali, a farmer benefiting from the project, thanked the philanthropic donors in Qatar for their continuous support, and Qatar Charity for assisting the needy and the displaced, indicating that this project helps him save money.

It is worth noting that Qatar Charity has been implementing several projects to enhance food security and livelihoods in northwest Syria. In addition to the vegetable support project, Qatar Charity has been supporting the wheat value chain for the third year in a row, in partnership with OCHA.