“Ghallatuna" to encourage home farming

Former minister, Salim Sayegh, last week launched the “Ghalletna” project through VOLUNTEERS association with the aim to inspire people and farmers to invest in and restore life to their neglected lands. This is done through starting simple home gardens in a way to strengthen social solidarity and enhance the relationship with earth. In an interview with Al Diyar daily, Sayegh stressed that basically the project aims to empower every Lebanese household to face the imminent risk of food insecurity. “Ghallatuna”, he explained, started as a pilot project to be tested before being mainstreamed. The pilot targeted some 450 households in the Ftouh-Kestrouan area covering more than 40 towns and villages, where each case was studied separately through questionnaires that identify the criteria for the selection of lands for intervention. similarly, the project director, agriculture engineer, Ruba Bou Ezz, expounded that “Ghallatuna” functions along six axis: 1) the distribution of seedlings and instructions and guidelines on how to plant them, 2), follow up and intervention upon request from beneficiaries, 3) constant training on home farming, 4) encouraging and structuring agricultural volunteering, and finally, 5) preparation of traditional mouneh. (Al Diyar, May 23, 2020)