Palestine News Network (PNN) : "Innovation under siege in Gaza: agriculture goes organic"

Innovation under siege in Gaza: agriculture goes organic

06.09.09 - 12:40

Gaza / PNN – Despite three years of siege and semi-regular attacks, the Gaza Strip has designed a machine to manufacture organic fertilizer.

The first of its kind, the new machine processes organic fertilizer in place of the usual supplies.

Agricultural engineers in the Ministry of Agriculture say they designed this modern mechanical device to prepare and manufacture organic fertilizer because of a lack of supplies due to the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip.

Raw materials are banned under the Israeli siege, with all border crossings under tight control.

The Ministry says it is working to overcome the lack of supplies in the agricultural sector as a result the blockade.

Engineer Nizar Wahidi is the Director of Planning and Policy Ministry of Agriculture. He describes the efforts as a “success story of modern mechanical design”. Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Mohammed Ramadan Al Agha, says there is a “need to solve the most complex problem faced by farms in the preparation of fertilizer that is prevented from entering under the blockade. All production requirements have been prevented for a long time.”

Two young engineers were recruited to come up with a solution.

Mohammad Al Shaher is one of the machine’s designers. He said on Sunday, “The most difficult challenge is the absence of a model, so we started to surf the internet and research the field. From that we developed a model that helps farmers and saves them painstaking work.”

After the spate of Israeli attacks on the Strip in late December and January the lion’s share of buildings and workshops were found destroyed, the Ministry of Agriculture stated. But Al Shaher said that some materials were salvaged, including “cogs and gears and some other pieces for use.”

The Ministry gave props today to engineers for their innovation in times of crisis and their ability to convert ideas to reality.”

The machine maintains the principles of organic farming that Wahidi says is part of the innovative projects undertaken by the Ministry to “build a better future for the agricultural sector away from the occupation and its interference.”

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