The Yemeni Countryside
I have received countless inquiries about the life of the Yemeni people. “How do they eat? What do they eat? Is there water in the country? Does anything grow?” And on and on and on.
These are all fair questions. Only 3% of Yemen’s entire landmass is arable. Of that, roughly a quarter of that arable land has been recovered from the sides of mountains in the form of terracing, the art of cutting farmland out of the mountains, giant steps working their way up the sides of majestic peaks.
But there are also valleys filled with cropland, from which the vast majority of Yemen’s food derives. In the fertile lands from Sana’a to Dhamar, and Ibb to Taiz, crops are cared for, mountains are vibrantly green and the population of this mystical land go about their business like any other.
Here are a few shots to give the general idea.
While it is true that an alarmingly high amount of useful land in Yemen has gone to the Qat farmers, there is still a wide variety of things grown in Yemen, from fruits such as Guava and Mangos, to crops such as wheat and rice, and even cabbage, lettuce and cucumbers.
And there you have it. It does get green in certain parts of Yemen. There are plants. There is life. Farmers farm, children play and students study. Indeed, it is an agrarian based culture, the same as countless across the world.
Such similarities make me happy. Like this song.
Thanks for taking the time to share this with us Matthew. I’d love to see it for myself. Looks like the terraces in China – every bit of arable land is well used (and has been for centuries)