国际英语资讯:Feature: Some Syrians achieve self-sufficiency through farming on rooftops_时事

国际英语资讯:Feature: Some Syrians achieve self-sufficiency through farming on rooftops

SWEIDA, Syria, July 26 -- Trailing his hands over their soft green tips, Ziad Thabet looks with pride at the vegetables he planted on his rooftop as part of his efforts to achieve self-sufficiency amid soaring prices in the markets.

Like most Syrians, the retired man has felt the economic hardships the country is going through, which affected the livelihoods of Syrians, particularly with the new sanctions imposed on the country by the United States.

Thabet, who lives in the city of Sweida in southern Syria, didn't succumb under the pressure of the economic crisis that has been exacerbating since last year. Instead, he came up with the idea of using his rooftop to plant vegetables that he needs instead of buying them from the market.

国际英语资讯:Feature: Some Syrians achieve self-sufficiency through farming on rooftops1

He chose styrofoam boxes and planted seeds of various vegetables and fruits in the boxes such as tomato, cucumber, eggplants, watermelon, among others.

"The salary of retirees is limited and given the crisis and the economic hardship, we needed to search for new means to feed ourselves and our children. I started planting the roof here to achieve self-sufficiency in addition to my pension," he said.

It's been a year since Thabet started planting the roof of his apartment building and now what he is planting is enough for his needs.

"Planting has become a necessity these days in any country; it's called self-sufficiency or food security. Whoever eats from his effort and his land will never need anyone else," he said.