Tayseer Abu Dan was so sick of looking for work in the Gaza strip that he decided to become self-reliant by turning his rooftop into a lush, organic vegetable garden.

Virtually every inch of his roof in the town of Khan Younis is now covered with earth-filled containers from which grow tomatoes, celery, broad beans and more.

Abu Dan says he makes a living by selling the produce at the local market and has plenty left over to feed his 15-strong family.

"It (the garden) provides all our home needs," he says after a round of watering and pruning on Saturday (March 6).

"I grow vegetables whether it is summer or winter season," he adds.


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SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic) "Due to the lack of economic and social conditions and the lack of capabilities necessary for any of the projects in this country, I went to use the roof of the house for cultivation in order to benefit from it and provide for my family."

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic) "It (the garden) provides all our home needs. I grow vegetables whether it is summer or winter season."

After an exhausting job search, Palestinian Tayseer Abu Dan, a resident of the Gaza Strip, decided to grow vegetables on the roof of his house.

Although the house is small and dilapidated, this provided a window to earn a living and support a family of 15.

Tayseer Abu Dan decided to rely on himself, by turning the roof of his small house into a vegetable garden in the Gaza Strip. He made his living through this crop yield. He sees that his project in Gaza set an example for others to plant their roofs especially in light of the scarcity of agricultural fields, not to mention the abject poverty that people endure.

Interview Tayseer Abu Dan

"Due to the lack of economic and social conditions and the lack of capabilities necessary for any of the projects in this country, I went to use the roof of the house for cultivation in order to benefit from it and provide for the people of my house,"

"Of course, all the house needs, I grow vegetables whether it is summer or winter season."