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Tribune News Network
Doha
The Khayr Qatarna programme by Sahtak Awalan – Your Health First – has contributed greatly to boosting the food security and sustainability of Qatar with production of tonnes of fruits and vegetables in greenhouses
at schools.
The produce was all grown in just three greenhouses sited at secondary schools in Qatar. Under the Khayr Qatarna initiative, Sahtak Awalan runs the greenhouses and the produce is then sold at local supermarkets. The programme also teaches students about agriculture, logistics, economics and healthy food. All profits are reinvested in the scheme.
The fruits and vegetables – tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and beans – were grown and harvested in the past
10 months.
With the addition of seven more schools in the greenhouse project, this year’s crop is set to increase. The strategic plan seeks to expand the scheme across Qatar by reinvesting the profits in the initiative. This will see more schools being included in the programme as time goes on, helping to fulfil Qatar National Vision 2030 goals of sustainability and healthy future generations.
Nesreen al Rifai, chief communications officer at Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q), which runs Sahtak Awalan, said it was a wonderful first year. “The success of the Khayr Qatarna greenhouses has been beyond our expectations. With the invaluable contribution of all our strategic partners, we have helped support national sustainability and provided high school students with lessons about healthy eating, agriculture, economics and logistics.”
Hassan al Mohamedi, director of Public Relations and Communications Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, said: “We are very happy to see growing health awareness among the community, which is related to the greenhouses in our schools. The collaboration between all of Your Health First’s strategic partners is an indication of the success of Sahtak Awalan – Your Health First. This success manifests itself in the way our students are taking care of their health and following good habits in order to improve the health of themselves and Qatar.”
Greenhouses are currently operating at Amna Bint Wahab School, Osama Bin Zaid and Zainab Preparatory School for Girls. The new schools to be included in the project are Audio Complex for Girls, Audio Complex for Boys, Roqaya Preparatory for Girls, Khalid Bin Ahmed School for Boys, Al Wajba School for Girls, Al Razi School for Boys and Moza Bint Mohammed for Girls.
All the greenhouses have been planted with new crops -- including strawberries for the first time -- and the first harvests of 2019 are expected from the end of this month until mid-March.
Because the greenhouses are climate-controlled, fruits and vegetables can continue to be grown throughout the year, even during the
summer months.
Khayr Qatarna was officially launched in February 2018, with the first harvest in March last year. Through two more harvests in the same year, fresh fruits and vegetables were supplied to local supermarkets to help improve food security, increase sustainability and encourage healthy eating.
The initiative is an extension of Project Greenhouse which has seen 130 greenhouses being built at local elementary schools to teach children the importance of eating healthy food and how to grow their own fruit and vegetables.
The Khayr Qatarna project and the wider Sahtak Awalan campaign has been supported by Qatar Foundation, the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Ministry of Environment and Municipality, Occidental Petroleum and ExxonMobil.
Doha
The Khayr Qatarna programme by Sahtak Awalan – Your Health First – has contributed greatly to boosting the food security and sustainability of Qatar with production of tonnes of fruits and vegetables in greenhouses
at schools.
The produce was all grown in just three greenhouses sited at secondary schools in Qatar. Under the Khayr Qatarna initiative, Sahtak Awalan runs the greenhouses and the produce is then sold at local supermarkets. The programme also teaches students about agriculture, logistics, economics and healthy food. All profits are reinvested in the scheme.
The fruits and vegetables – tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and beans – were grown and harvested in the past
10 months.
With the addition of seven more schools in the greenhouse project, this year’s crop is set to increase. The strategic plan seeks to expand the scheme across Qatar by reinvesting the profits in the initiative. This will see more schools being included in the programme as time goes on, helping to fulfil Qatar National Vision 2030 goals of sustainability and healthy future generations.
Nesreen al Rifai, chief communications officer at Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q), which runs Sahtak Awalan, said it was a wonderful first year. “The success of the Khayr Qatarna greenhouses has been beyond our expectations. With the invaluable contribution of all our strategic partners, we have helped support national sustainability and provided high school students with lessons about healthy eating, agriculture, economics and logistics.”
Hassan al Mohamedi, director of Public Relations and Communications Department at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, said: “We are very happy to see growing health awareness among the community, which is related to the greenhouses in our schools. The collaboration between all of Your Health First’s strategic partners is an indication of the success of Sahtak Awalan – Your Health First. This success manifests itself in the way our students are taking care of their health and following good habits in order to improve the health of themselves and Qatar.”
Greenhouses are currently operating at Amna Bint Wahab School, Osama Bin Zaid and Zainab Preparatory School for Girls. The new schools to be included in the project are Audio Complex for Girls, Audio Complex for Boys, Roqaya Preparatory for Girls, Khalid Bin Ahmed School for Boys, Al Wajba School for Girls, Al Razi School for Boys and Moza Bint Mohammed for Girls.
All the greenhouses have been planted with new crops -- including strawberries for the first time -- and the first harvests of 2019 are expected from the end of this month until mid-March.
Because the greenhouses are climate-controlled, fruits and vegetables can continue to be grown throughout the year, even during the
summer months.
Khayr Qatarna was officially launched in February 2018, with the first harvest in March last year. Through two more harvests in the same year, fresh fruits and vegetables were supplied to local supermarkets to help improve food security, increase sustainability and encourage healthy eating.
The initiative is an extension of Project Greenhouse which has seen 130 greenhouses being built at local elementary schools to teach children the importance of eating healthy food and how to grow their own fruit and vegetables.
The Khayr Qatarna project and the wider Sahtak Awalan campaign has been supported by Qatar Foundation, the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the Ministry of Environment and Municipality, Occidental Petroleum and ExxonMobil.
