---
title: "Sowing the seeds of self-sufficiency"
description: "Hunger levels are dangerously high in Yemen. But one group of farmers has found a way to feed their families and make a profit from growing vegetables."
url: "https://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2021/sowing-the-seeds-of-self-sufficiency"
language: "en"
published: "2021-06-12T04:18:30Z"
modified: "2021-06-12T04:18:30Z"
---

![In Yemen, farming is no longer a profession only for those who inherited it from their parents. Because of the war, many people who have lost their jobs or don’t earn enough of a salary have now turned to the land. Abdullah Qaid, aged 45, has spent 28 years as a teacher in Taiz’s Gabal Habashi district. His salary used to be enough to support his eight family members. However, during the last five years the Yemeni currency collapsed from YER215 against the US dollar in 2015 to more than YER800 now. That has led to a huge increase in food prices, so many people can no longer afford it—including public workers like Abdullah. “I’m a teacher and my salary doesn’t cover even the half of what my family needs. The situation of the people here in general is very bad. Before the war, some used to work in Aden, Sana’a or Al-Hodeidah to provide for their families.” Teachers in Taiz governorate went without salaries for more than a year and only started receiving payments again in 2017 when food prices had already jumped. “Since the beginning of the war, people have lost their jobs and they have returned to the village, where there is no chance of work. So a real tragedy was happening in this village.” “A real tragedy was happening in this village… some families used to mix flour with animal feed and eat it” Abdullah recalls an unforgettable moment for him, from a time now lost: “My home is near the main road and I used to see children’s smiles and happiness when they waited their fathers to arrive home from \[jobs in\] other governorates. Those smiles disappeared from the children’s faces after the war.” Abdullah says that people were struggling to get food for their families. “Some families used to mix flour with animal feed and eat it, because they couldn’t afford the price of pure flour.” People in Gabal Habsahi district used to plant corn in summer as feed for their cows, but they didn’t plant anything in winter and so the farms remained barren for six months a year. They didn’t think about vegetable farming until the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) arrived in this little valley. At first, there was resistance to the idea, because people didn’t know how it would work. “When NRC arrived, we were told that they would provide us with support to start vegetable farming. The idea wasn’t clear and many people didn’t have any experience about vegetables farming,” Abdullah says. “Then we received training from NRC and we learnt a lot. So we were happy to start a new experience of planting vegetables.” With support from the Yemen Humanitarian Fund (YHF), NRC has now helped 500 famers like Abdullah in Gabal Habashi district with tomato, zucchini, okra, and onion seeds. The families were also provided with training, and cash to help them plough and water their farmlands. Abdullah says that all the family members go to work in the fields, and they are happy to have a new source of income. “Almost all the people in our village are farming now. There were some problems like the water source being far from some fields, but we overcame that problem by buying a pump.” Another problem that farmers faced was the fees for ploughing fields, but that was solved by the cash they received from NRC. “Now the valley is full of zucchini, okra and tomatoes. We have started to harvest zucchini and we will start selling tomatoes in ten days.” Farmers sell twenty kilos of zucchini for YER3,000-4,000 and twenty kilos of okra for around YER5,000, which is a good price for customers. “I can see the situation of families here is better now and my own situation has improved now with the beginning of the harvest season,” Abdullah says. “Mothers harvest a basket and go to sell it in the market and buy what they need. Fathers do the same so families have money to buy what they need.” Abdullah explains that the income from the vegetables isn’t enough to cover everything, but it helps to fill a big gap for these families. Abdullah attributes the cheap prices at the moment to the harvest season, as all farmers are harvesting their crops at the same time so the markets are full of vegetables. “There are many families who are benefiting from the low prices as they can buy cheap vegetables for their families.” Abdullah considers this season as the best of the year, as all family members can earn money from selling the vegetables and can eat from their farmlands. “The vegetable from my farm taste like honey to me. When I buy vegetables from the market, they don’t taste like the ones from my farm, which are so fresh. Sometimes I even cook them myself.” “The vegetable from my farm taste like honey to me” Abdullah believes that the high cost of seeds in Yemen is still the main problem threating this new wave of farming, especially because this is still the first year and so farmers are spending what they earn on basic goods. “A packet of 1,000 zucchini seeds costs YER45,000. I as a farmer can’t buy it for this price, it is very difficult for me to save YER45,000 from what the vegetables earn this year.” He confirmed that the farmers would be happy to continue farming if they get help with the seeds. “Farmers now are in the middle of the journey, and they still need support. If they get more support next year they will keep going, as they are unemployed and don’t have any other work to do.” Abdullah thanks NRC for this support. “NRC helped to re-light the good feeling in the hearts of farmers.” Text: Nasser Abdulkareem/NRC Photo: Khalid Al-Banna/NRC](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/images/countries/yemen/2021/sowing-the-seeds-of-self-sufficiency/1l7a5581.jpg)

Yemen

# Sowing the seeds of self-sufficiency

By Nasser Abdulkareem Published 12. Jun 2021

[Yemen](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=120) [Livelihoods and food security](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=149)

Abdullah Qaid, 45, had been working as a teacher for 28 years, but because of the increase in food prices, he has turned to farming. Photo: Khalid Al-Banna/NRC

This article was first published more than 5 years ago

Hunger levels are dangerously high in Yemen. But one group of farmers has found a way to feed their families and make a profit from growing vegetables.

Abdullah spent 28 years working as a teacher in Taiz, a city in south-west Yemen. His salary used to be enough to support his eight family members. But that was before the war escalated in 2015.

Over the past six years, the Yemeni currency (the Rial) has declined in value. Teachers like Adbullah went without their salaries for more than a year. The financial situation led to a huge spike in food prices.

“Some families used to mix flour with animal feed and eat it because they couldn’t afford the price of pure flour,” Abdullah recalls.

Abdullah inherited land from his father. He used to grow corn on it to supplement his teaching work, but this wasn’t enough to provide for his family.

Now, with the support of the Yemen Humanitarian Fund (YHF), the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is helping 1,000 farming families like Abdullah’s in Jabal Habashi district, Taiz, to grow vegetables.

The families are provided with seeds, farming tools, training, and cash to pay for ploughing and access to water. Farmers then sell part of their harvests, including tomatoes, zucchini, okra, and onions, at the village market. “Now, families have money to buy what they need,” says Abdullah.

![Farmers in Taiz’s Jabal Habashi district are supported by NRC to plant their land with vegetables to provide for their families. Photo: Khalid Al-Banna/NRC ](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/images/countries/yemen/2021/sowing-the-seeds-of-self-sufficiency/1l7a5739.jpg)

### “Our life is better now we are farming”

Rashidah Abdu is another of the farmers who received assistance. She is the sole breadwinner for her five children, the eldest of whom is only 14 years old. A friend allowed her to use part of his land and she started growing vegetables.

“Before, we struggled to get enough food and other basics but now everything is within reach,” says Rashidah. “Our life is better now we are farming. Instead of working for others, we work on our crops and get enough money.”

Rashidah’s can now provide her children with books, materials and clothes for school.

![Rashidah used to work for others to provide for her children but now, with NRC’s help, she has started farming for herself. Photo: Khalid Al-Banna/NRC ](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/images/countries/yemen/2021/sowing-the-seeds-of-self-sufficiency/1l7a6604-01.jpeg)

### Farming all year round

Badreyah Hussein, another farmer in Taiz’s Jabal Habashi district, had no experience of farming in the winter. She said she used to plant corn in the summer and leave her land fallow in winter. She had never planted vegetables before.

“NRC trained us in vegetable farming, and we liked the idea,” says Badreyah. “They provided us with seeds, tools, money, and we started to plant vegetables for the first time.”

“Before, from the harvest we got, we kept seeds for the coming season. There wasn’t enough to eat or sell. That has been our life since I was a child. Now, things have changed for the better,” she says.

![Badreyah is trying vegetable farming for the first time. She describes the new experience as a good one which has helped her to provide for her family. Photo: Khalid Al-Banna/NRC ](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/images/countries/yemen/2021/sowing-the-seeds-of-self-sufficiency/1l7a5612.jpg)

Nearly 16 million people – more than half of Yemen’s population – are facing dangerous levels of hunger and rely on humanitarian aid to survive. Food prices in Yemen have soared, pushing prices out of reach for millions of people.

Although only a small proportion of Yemen’s food is produced domestically, nearly two-thirds of Yemenis make a living from agriculture. Projects like this increase access to food for vulnerable people, and also help them earn an income.

More support is needed for sustainable livelihoods in Yemen so that people do not have to rely on aid to survive and can ensure their families do not go hungry.

![](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/images/countries/yemen/2021/sowing-the-seeds-of-self-sufficiency/1l7a5581.jpg)