VIAN MEHRPARVAR

Mahabad- With the arrival of spring, seasonal medicinal herbs have begun to be sold in many cities of Eastern Kurdistan. Women of Mahabad collect these wild plants in the mountains and sell them at local markets in the city. They first clean these plants and then grind them to be used as powder. Collecting and selling medicinal plants has become a source of income for women in the city for years.

 When you walk around the city, you can see women carrying sacks on their backs. 40-year-old Zara, a seasonal agricultural worker, is one of these women. “Every spring, I collect medicinal plants in the mountains due to unemployment,” she told NuJINHA. “As women, we collect the plants together. However, we usually have to sell the plants to brokers, who offer very low prices. I am not happy with this situation. I want to sell the plants at the local markets; however, these markets are mostly dominated by men.”

Discrimination against women

In Mahabad, many women spend their time in the mountains due to unemployment and financial difficulties faced by them. “There is a strong bond between women and nature. They collect fewer plants out of respect for nature. Men also collect plants in the mountains but they try to collect plants all because they want to earn more money. They harm nature while collecting plants. Women are also subjected to discrimination at local markets controlled by men.”

Workshops

Women also have workshops in the city for packaging medicinal plants. Despite the inequality faced by them, these women never give up making efforts to break gender discrimination.

‘We support each other,” said Shaida, one of the women working in one of these workshops. “Cleaning these plants has become a source of income for us. We earn enough money when we sell the plants directly, without brokers. We have social media accounts and sell the plants on them. We want to expand our business.”