Safadi Foundation training workshop on oregano planting in Akkar

Safadi Foundation organized yesterday a first training session on planting oregano.  The training is part of a series of activities and workshops that the association is implementing within the framework of its programme on using natural resources for the development of the local rural economy in Akkar.  The project is implemented in collaboration with AIDA, a Spanish NGO, and within the Afkaar 3 initiative which is managed by OMSAR with funding from the European Union.  It seeks to strengthen women’s social and economic rights in Akkar as well as support the economic infrastructure of the local agriculture sector.
The event was organized in the Safadi agriculture centre in Deir Dulum (Akkar) and included lectures by Lebanese University Professor, Dr. Jihad Noon; an expert in planting thyme and herbs, with some 40 women and 15 men took part in the training and came from different parts of Akkar.  The workshop dealt with all the stages of planting oregano namely from soil preparation to planting, irrigation, harvesting and marketing.
The project manager at the Safadi Foundation, Dr. Ghassan Srur, spoke about the importance of the project for the economy and development of the Akkar region.  The project includes activities related to drying herbs and fruits.  He encouraged women to attend all different workshops and to take care of their harvest so that they can benefit from an additional income to the family.  Srour also spoke of the facilities and services that the agricultural centre offers to all the farmers in the region to help them lower their production cost.  Coordinator Elias Wehbi highlighted the future stages of the project notably the distribution of seedlings and irrigation services.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal 29 May 2014