Diyarbakir Launches Medicinal Plant Course for Women

Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality has launched a Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Growing Course aimed at helping women develop practical skills in sustainable cultivation and herbal product development. The certified programme combines classroom-based learning with hands-on training, and applications are open from 20 to 30 October 2026.

Organised by the municipality’s Department of Women’s Policies, the course will introduce participants to identifying, cultivating, and caring for medicinal and aromatic plants. It will also explore the history and traditional uses of these plants, with the programme designed to strengthen women’s connection with nature, agriculture and local botanical knowledge.

Key Highlights:

• Women will receive theoretical and practical training in medicinal and aromatic plant cultivation
• The course covers cultivation from seed to harvest and traditional herbal product-making
• Women can apply at Ben u Sen or Yeniköy Women’s Life Centres until 30 October 2026

A key component of the course is its practical focus. Participants will learn about the complete cultivation process, beginning with sowing seeds and continuing through to harvesting. This approach is intended to give women direct experience of plant production rather than limiting the programme to theoretical instruction.

The training will also extend beyond cultivation to value-added product development. Participants will learn traditional methods of processing medicinal and aromatic plants into products such as creams, ointments, natural tinctures and vinegar. By combining agricultural knowledge with product-making skills, the initiative could help women explore opportunities in herbal products, sustainable agriculture and local entrepreneurship.

The programme also places emphasis on preserving traditional knowledge surrounding medicinal and aromatic plants. Participants will learn about established uses and processing techniques alongside modern cultivation practices, creating a link between botanical education and traditional expertise.

Women interested in joining the certified programme can submit their applications between 20 and 30 October 2026 at the Ben u Sen Women’s Life Centre or Yeniköy Women’s Life Centre.

The initiative builds on earlier efforts by the municipality to promote plant-based knowledge among women. Earlier this autumn, its Department of Women and Family Services organised a free Medicinal and Aromatic Plant Cultivation Workshop at women’s centres. The workshop explored women’s historical role as healers and discussed the safe use of plants.

The municipality also organised a visit to its Agroecology Climate School, which brought together 150 women. The new certified course takes a more structured and production-oriented approach, combining plant identification, cultivation and traditional processing.

Through the programme, the municipality is seeking to create a pathway for women to develop agricultural skills, entrepreneurial capabilities and knowledge of natural products, while supporting the preservation of traditional botanical practices.