About Us

Our Space

We manage and operate out of the Education City Microfarm. The space includes a 20 bed community garden, and a 10 bed accessible covered teaching space. All of our workshops happen in this beautiful space unless requested by a client/school to carry out events in their own space. In addition the EC microfarm we manage and support multiple other spaces including in the Pearl and DFC.

Our Story

Our vision is to help every home in the Middle East to have a sustainable garden.

We started in 2017 as a Facebook group to help gardeners in the Middle East share knowledge around gardening in the challenging environment we face. To date we have more than 8000 members with 10,000s of interactions a week. So we thought why not take that knowledge and experience and help every home in the Middle East to have a sustainable garden producing fruit and veggies.

Vicky Damalou – Agr. Engineer / MBA

Hi, my name is Vicky and I decided I wanted to become and Agronomist at the age of 12. After graduating from the Agricultural University of Athens, in Greece, I worked for several years in gardening and in agricultural production & marketing in Europe.

Since I moved to Qatar, in 2010, I have worked in production, marketing and sales in various agricultural businesses, in garden centers, in the establishment of greenhouses and in the business development of landscaping and agricultural business companies.

With a solid knowledge of the gardening and agricultural practices of different crops in Qatar, my dream is to provide agricultural advice that will lead to a greener future for all!

Christina Mortada – Agronomist

Hi, my name is Christina, I was raised to love gardening from my childhood because my family were vine growers. 

After getting my master’s degree in plant protection in Lebanon (ULFA) and in Integrated Pest Management on fruit trees in Italy (MAIB), I worked as a Research Assistant in various Institutes and landscaping companies. 

A few years ago, the power of nature in healing ability and well-being was a revealing experience for me and my instinct drove me back to my roots; to gardening and planting all kinds of seeds. 

As my life became more green, all my worries disappeared, so I decided to study more and understand the secrets of the power of healing in gardening, in order to help others. 

My goal is to teach horticulture and bring positive change in the mental and physical health of everyone.

Sara Khorasani – Technology Lead

Hi, my name is Sara and I started gardening in 2017 by starting a group on Facebook to learn from other gardeners in the Middle East. My family are pistachio farmers, and I used to love picking fresh pistachios off trees in Iran. But I wondered if growing my own food in the desert was possible. With Hadiqaa we try to prove that is possible everyday.

I am also the Co-founder of Gamyra Tech, an Ed-tech startup established in QSTP in 2014 and now backed by international investors and headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. I have 8 years’ experience in designing & developing hardware and software products across the Formula 1, simulation and ed-tech industries. I have a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Texas A&M University at Qatar.