After working in Istanbul for 30 years, Şerife Özcan, who retired, contributes to the family budget by producing vegetables in a greenhouse established with grant support. Özcan, who worked in the private sector for many years in Istanbul, retired at the age of 54 and turned his dream of living in the countryside by returning to his hometown of Giresun eight years ago. Along with his spouse and child, Özcan settled in Cumhuriyet Mahallesi, which is 15 kilometers away from the town center, and started growing vegetables in small areas around their house. After a while, Özcan applied to the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry to receive producer support. Within the scope of the “Greenhouse Expansion Project” implemented in collaboration with the Eastern Black Sea Project Regional Development Administration, Özcan’s support application was approved last year, and a 240 square meter greenhouse was installed in his garden. Producing various vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, chard, and kale in the greenhouse, Özcan also contributed to the family budget with the income obtained. Şerife Özcan told an AA correspondent that working in the big city for 30 years had worn her out. Expressing that she always dreamed of doing farming in the countryside upon returning to his hometown, Özcan said, “At first, when we returned to our hometown, we used to go back and forth to the Giresun town center and couldn’t stay in the rural area. When our child bought 15 chicks, we settled completely in the village after he went to college. We started doing farming, anything related to rural life in the village. The best part is working in the village.” Özcan explained that they initially created a space with small covers and applied for state support to establish a modern greenhouse. Emphasizing that they achieved a significant gain after the installation of the greenhouse, Özcan said, “Both our production and income increased after the greenhouse was installed. We didn’t even have enough space to grow our seedlings. Now we can easily grow our seedlings. We can plant seedlings not only in the greenhouse but also in the outdoor areas.” Saying that she loves village life very much, Özcan continued, “I find peace by sitting in front of the vegetables and having a cup of tea. I love nature, I don’t like living in the city, I get bored. I love working, producing, and earning. I don’t like idling. Summers are very busy, we work a lot. We live naturally.” Mentioning that they can sell all the products they grow, Özcan said that they made a good income from the vegetables they wholesaled. Şerife Özcan thanked the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry officials for their support in greenhouse cultivation and production techniques.