Afghanistan: Solar-powered Greenhouses Enable Afghan Women to Grow Food, Income, and Hope

Jun 8, 2026 | Hortidaily
Hortidaily
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For seven years after her husband died, Noorhaya, 45, toiled under the harsh sun in Kandahar Province, southern Afghanistan, trying to grow enough vegetables to feed her three children. Each year, the heat and insects destroyed most of her crops.

"No matter how hard we worked, we could not grow enough to improve our situation," Noorhaya said. "Life has been full of challenges. We live in a simple mud house and most days we depended on basic food like wheat, peas and beans."

Around 170 kilometres away in neighbouring Helmand Province, Khadija faced similar struggles. A mother of eight, she and her extended family relied on farming to survive in a region where temperatures regularly exceed 40 degrees Celsius and water is increasingly scarce.