A greenhouse constructed by agricultural engineers has inspired locals in Kars' Selim district, which has severe winters. To encourage locals and villagers, agricultural engineers from the Selim Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry built a greenhouse on the directorate's campus.
The engineers grew a range of products, including organic tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, and eggplants. In defiance of the residents' comments that "it's too cold here, there won't be any harvest," they established an example for growers interested in greenhouse farming. When harvest time comes, the university students themselves harvest the seedlings that were also planted by the students.
The greenhouse, which 5 engineers oversee from watering to pruning, hoeing to planting, has become a focal point for manufacturers in the villages and district capital. "Our goal in our greenhouse is not just to eat tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, but to show our citizens that these products can be produced through greenhouse farming in our region, especially in our district," Ozdemir explained, adding that they built the greenhouse with assistance from the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry.
According to Ozdemir, students are also gaining experience from the greenhouse, and after witnessing the vegetables developing, locals have also developed an interest in greenhouses. The greenhouse's drip watering system was made possible by the hard work of agricultural experts, and they have heard from locals who say, "We want to start greenhouse farming too."
Despite the chilly fall weather, Ozdemir said they kept harvesting produce, adding, "Our greenhouse will keep running till the snow falls, even if it is October. We have been harvesting produce from our greenhouse for four to five months, depending on the weather. There's a lot of interest because our products are tasty and organic."
"When we first came here, there was no greenhouse cultivation," agricultural engineer Ramazan Irgin said, explaining that their objective is to serve as an example for growers in the city. "We have been performing demonstration studies and evaluating various cultivars of 5 different crops since we set up our greenhouse in 2022. Our growers here have started producing as hobbyists with our support and assistance."
Tugba Genel highlighted their enthusiasm for using greenhouse farming to cultivate vegetables and serve as role models for the general public. She mentioned that they are in charge of all greenhouse care and went on: "We work with all of our coworkers with a lot of love and devotion. Our weariness is transformed into happiness when we witness the encouraging comments we get; the kids are especially excited. We link them to the plants and the soil. They like harvesting the crops at harvest time and witnessing the growth of the seedlings they assisted in planting. We also educate and encourage our farmers.
Omer Akbaba, one of the residents who participated in the production in the greenhouse, remarked: "We saw the greenhouse after the District Directorate of Agriculture implemented a good program, and we wanted to try it out. They provided our seedlings and helped us out by taking care of them. We planted beans, tomatoes, peppers, and chili peppers. We had an excellent crop."
Source: AA
