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FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq (July 1, 2008) - A
series of four greenhouses officially opened June 28 in Mahmudiyah
marking a step forward in revitalizing and modernizing Iraqi
agriculture.
"The greenhouses are definitely a dominant feature in the area;
there is nothing else around them, and they can be seen well into
the distance," said Army Capt. Benjamin Neusse, civil-military
operations officer with 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery
Regiment. "Hopefully, it gives people the impression that progress
is being made along agricultural lines."
Each greenhouse is more than 500 square meters in area, and
plastic sheets on the outside convert ultraviolet rays into heat to
produce a more acclimated environment for plants to grow.
"The greenhouse is a pilot project through the local agriculture
union for research and development of agriculture technology," said
Neusse, a native of Murfreesboro, Tenn. "The houses are on lease
for one year to the union to educate local farmers on potential
technology."
A 60-cubic-meter storage pond feeds a drip irrigation system.
Each house has an independent valve that allows individual
irrigation.
"The project started a year ago when the [embedded provincial
reconstruction team] came to me expressing a high level of interest
in agriculture," Oded Abrahim Ghanthwan, owner of the greenhouse
property, said. "It took so long to come together because, for a
long time, the security in the area was not stable. But thanks to
the coalition and Iraqi army, the security is better, and these
greenhouses can be opened."
Ghanthwan is the first person in the area to use the individual
row greenhouse systems.
"People followed my footsteps before, and they want to do the
same with these greenhouses," Ghanthwan said. "Many other farmers
are going forward attempting to get contracts for greenhouses of
their own already, even before production has begun here. They see
the potential."
The seeds will be planted outside the greenhouses and brought in
when the plants sprout. The planned crops are tomatoes, cucumbers,
strawberries, melons and various other fruits and vegetables.
After one year, the agriculture union will hand the greenhouses
over to Ghanthwan for full-time ownership.
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