In 2022, alongside Anthea Barbary, I founded Cultivating Refuge C.I.C., an organisation dedicated to supporting humanitarian work in the Kurdish region of Iraq (KRI). Our mission focuses on developing training in urban agriculture and local food production, with a current emphasis on hydroponic farming. We are actively seeking support and funding for this project, so please contact us via email if you can assist in any way.
Our initiative began with a training centre in Qaraqosh, near Mosul. Post-war cities like Qaraqosh still bear the scars of conflict, years after their liberation from ISIS control in 2016. However, due to security concerns, we relocated our facility to the KRI in 2024.
We are now based in the north of Erbil and our fundraising efforts aim to contribute to the employment potential of trainees by introducing hydroponics—a water-efficient technology for food production—to the region. Hydroponic systems recirculate water, using significantly less than soil-based farming, where water is often lost to the ground. These systems also offer faster crop growth, targeted nutrient delivery, and are more mobile. The concept of a mobile ‘war garden’ was initially tested in Idlib, Syria, and it enables residents to move hydroponic structures if conflict arises.
Our training programme is supported by Dr Shaher Abdullateef, co-founder and Director of Syrian Academic Expertise and a renowned hydroponics specialist. Dr Shaher was invited to Iraq to support Al Raja & Al Salam, a regional charity that works with refugees and displaced people in the KRI, serving as both teacher and trainer.
Below are images from the initial setup of the hydroponics unit in March 2023, along with additional photos from 2024 showing the newly built polytunnel and growing crops, including spinach, spring onions, parsley, and cucumbers.
For more details, please visit our fundraising page at www.cultivatingrefuge.org.
Additional polytunnel growing
In late 2023 we raised enough funding for the construction of a polytunnel in Erbil. The polytunnel will allow all year round growing, protecting the crops in the cold winter in the region. It will also allow us to extend the hydroponic system and therefore produce more crops.
