Subsistence farming

The industry here has always been farming, working on the little patches of land here and there. There is no big swath of land, just patches. One would think how would anything grow here. As long as there is enough sun and there is water, anything can grow. In the Spring time, there is ample rain fall. Water is collected in the rocks, channels are carved into the rock and the water directed into cisterns in the rock cones to be used all summer long. In the olden days, pigeon poop was used as fertilisers but today they use chemical fertilisers. They grow tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, grapes and all kinds of fruit trees, the apple trees are all the place and we would pick them to eat as we hiked. Apricots, mulberries, walnut and hazelnut trees are also abundant. Today only the old work on the farms, the young are employed in the tourism industry, as guides, in restaurants and in pansiyons, driving shuttles and other tourism related work. It is a very idyllic place but with the influx of foreign visitors, the attitudes of the young are changing.