ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Farmers in the Kurdish city of Kobane in northeast Syria (Rojava) are increasingly turning to olive and pistachio cultivation, with residents planting trees across large stretches of farmland despite rising agricultural costs.
In Gewrik village, about 15 kilometers west of Kobane, residents say demand for tree planting has sharply increased this year as farmers seek more reliable agricultural income in the dry region.
“People are now planting many trees. The majority of Kobane’s people are busy planting trees,” said Sikri Kobane, the owner of an auger machine used to dig holes for tree planting.
“If the land is large and its area is wide and suitable, they plant pistachio [trees], and it produces a yield. They make it olive. It produces yield,” he said, adding that other crops are less dependable because rainfall varies from year to year.
Although diesel prices and planting costs have risen, farmers continue to expand cultivation, residents said.
Local farmers say tree planting has doubled compared with last year, despite limited support from agricultural organizations.
“There isn't a single plot without trees here,” farmer Mohammed Abdo said. “When the trees grow, the weather here becomes pleasant, and rainfall also increases.”
He added that many residents are seeking to acquire land specifically for tree planting.
“Anyone who has a plot of land wants to plant trees. Even someone who doesn't have land wants to acquire a thousand, two thousand, or five thousand square meters in order to plant trees on it,” Abdo said.
Large parts of western Kobane, stretching from the city toward the Euphrates River, are increasingly being covered with olive and pistachio trees.
Farmers say the region’s dry climate and soil are well-suited for the crops, particularly pistachios, which require relatively little water.
