Palestinian woman pioneers hydroponic farm on roof of her West Bank home

Mona Al-Sabah, a Palestinian mathematics teacher, has developed her own hydroponic farm on the roof of her home in the village of Beit Iba, in the northern West Bank.

Speaking to Arabi21, Mona said she has always enjoyed growing flowers and farming as a hobby, and while researching her pastime, she learnt about hydroponics; the cultivation of plants using mineral nutrients in water which consumes 90 per cent less water than conventional agriculture.

“Before starting my project, I consulted agricultural experts and people with experience in this field,” she said, adding that after collecting all the information she needed, she embarked on her new project in September.

“Last September, I started purchasing the equipment needed to start my project which was not easy, because many of the equipment was unavailable. Then we built the basins, which were not very successful at the beginning so I had to rebuild them,” Mona said, adding that despite the doubts raised by those around her, she eventually succeeded in building the basins and growing her plants.

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Today, Mona grows lettuce, spinach, parsley, mint and some fruits such as tomatoes and cucumbers.

“My goal is to spread the idea of hydroponics to farmers and housewives, because it has great benefits and overcomes the scarcity of water as well as space problems which Palestine suffers from,” she said.

Mona added that she is preparing to conduct educational courses for women on the benefits and importance of this cultivation method.

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