Author: Willow Heske

Oxfam has delivered a 12-month project to improve the livelihoods of 323 households struggling to earn an income from farming and herding in Area C of the West Bank. Willow Heske looks at some of the results.

Area C of the West Bank. Photo: Willow Heske/Oxfam

With funding from the European Commission Directorate for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), Oxfam has delivered a 12-month project to improve the livelihoods of 323 households struggling to earn an income from farming and herding in Area C of the West Bank. People were given help with ploughing and fertilising, greenhouse repair, seed planting, water distribution, animal feed, and veterinary care. The project was unique in that it allowed people to decide for themselves what kind of assistance they needed most.

Ahmed Daraghmeh and his granddaughter proudly show off a baby sheep born with the help of the Area C project. Photo: Willow Heske/Oxfam

Ahmed Daraghmeh, a small-scale farmer and herder, had 60 sheep before the project began. Now, after receiving training on animal care, and help with fodder and water for his flock, Ahmed has over 100 sheep. “I used to buy fodder and water on credit and would sell my sheep just to pay down the debt. Thanks to Oxfam I have no debt this season, and I have many new sheep now, so my income next year will grow too.”

Um Mohammad and two of her nine children work together to harvest sweet peas. Photo: Willow Heske/Oxfam

Through the project, Um Mohammad and her nine children now make around 5,000 shekels (£890), but Um says the important thing is that the family is planting again. For the three previous years, they didn’t farm for profit because they couldn’t afford to rent the equipment for ploughing and fertilising.

Oxfam project coordinator Buthaina Lufthi helps pick peas. Photo: Willow Heske/Oxfam

Oxfam project coordinator Buthaina Lufthi says, “I loved working on this project. We didn’t just spend the money and go. We taught people to invest in themselves. We returned people to their land and watched the families work together to earn an income. That’s sustainable.”

Where we work: occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel

An Oxfam project is helping farmers in the West Bank’s ‘Area C’, where politics is preventing many from making a living off their own land. Willow Heske reports.

Without building permits for permanent housing most families in area C are living in tents. Photo: Willow Heske

The building of the new Palestinian Agricultural Ministry’s office in Jiftlik isn’t very new. In fact, it’s a one room, run-down old shack in the middle of a dusty field. The office’s generator is used to power the computer (there is no other form of electricity here) and a standing fan creates a distracting noise that makes one wonder how any work can get done at all.

Not for lack of will

Looking around at the barren landscape it quickly becomes apparent that work here, in fact, rarely does get done.  Not for lack of will, but from lack of means.

“This area faces a lot of problems,” Awad Daraghmeh, an agronomist with the Agricultural Ministry explains. “The purpose of opening this office is to offer support for the farmers, but it is very difficult for the Palestinian Authority to have any real control.”

He continues to tell me that the Ministry is not allowed to invest in any building or rehabilitation projects in the area as a result of the Israeli Civil Administration’s tight control of this part of the occupied West Bank, known as ‘Area C.’

“Most of the farmers throughout this region are living in tents. They have no water, no electricity, no paved roads or grazing lands – we can’t even build new schools,” Daraghmeh adds.

The Palestinian breadbasket

Jerusalem has long been considered the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but far away from the tensions of the crowded Old City streets, Area C is also vital to Palestinian statehood and self-sufficiency. It is commonly known as the ‘Palestinian breadbasket’, situated on 61 percent of the West Bank and 95 percent of the Palestinian Jordan Valley’s most fertile, arable land.

Despite being classified as Palestinian land under the Oslo Accords, which called for Israel to transfer complete control over the territory to the Palestinian Authority (PA) by 1999, Area C has never switched hands. As a result, planning, zoning, and building remain at the sole discretion of the Israeli Civil Administration, which has issued a freeze on building permits for the Palestinians who live here.

There has been much ado about the significance of this ‘new’ office, which has been seen by many as a move towards resisting Israeli annexation of this strategic territory. But  the Palestinian Agricultural Ministry in Jiftlik  also epitomizes all of the entrenched problems associated with living and working in Area C.  Just to build a new office in this area of the West Bank, the PA would need permission from the Israeli Civil Administration, and such permission is almost never granted.

Restrictions

Farmers are particularly hard hit by restrictions on building access roads and storage centres, and have been barred by the Israeli Civil Administration from building new water wells. Of the estimated 150,000 Palestinians living here, 60,000 are not connected to a water network, and only 4,000 have access to sanitation services.

Many farmers complain that the lack of electricity also causes heavy losses because, without refrigerators, the vegetables rot quickly in the dry desert heat.

“We have no protection and we have no options. The Israeli Civil Administration has implemented policies that make Palestinian farming unprofitable,” said Harbi Abdullah, Chairman of the Al Aardh Agricultural Cooperative, who also told me he thought the Israeli Civil Administration wanted farmers like him to work as labourers on Israeli settlement farms instead of cultivating their own land.

Making a living off their own land

Recently Oxfam joined forces with local partners Economic and Social Development Center and the Palestinian Authority’s Agricultural Ministry in Jiftlik to deliver a project designed to help farmers in Area C continue to earn a living from farming their own land rather than relying on a wage earned working as labourers on settlement farms which are illegal under international law. With funding from the European Commission Directorate for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) the project distributed rain-fed seeds such as wheat, sweet peas, and chick peas, and helped farmers with ploughing, fertilizing, and greenhouse repairs.

Mahmoud Dias stands on the remains of his demolished home, holding the demolition notice. Photo: Willow Heske

Mahmoud Dias, a farmer who benefited from the Oxfam project, said that it improved his income this year. But despite this help, there is still that much remains to be done to improve his life.

“I live in a tent because I can’t get a building permit for a house. I built a simple house, just poured some concrete walls and a put on a tin roof. The Israeli military demolished it because I didn’t have a permit. Last year, the military confiscated my agricultural land twice. I can’t take my sheep out into the hills to graze because the green land is a closed military zone,” Mahmoud explained.

“I want to be strong. I want to stay here, but how can I continue when I keep losing everything over and over again?”

Where we work: occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel

To mark Fairtrade Fortnight, Willow Heske reports on the big difference Fairtrade certification is making to the business prospects of Palestinian farmers in the West Bank – and  the hope it has given to one farmer determined to succeed against the odds.

Palestinian olive oil farmer Nahed Sharia. Credit: Oxfam.

Nahed Sharia’s farm is nestled just off the main road in the West Bank village of Aboud. Only a 20–minute ride from Ramallah, his farm is, in theory, in a great location – the paved highway should give him easy access to the local markets. However, in 2001, an off-duty Israeli soldier who lived nearby was shot and killed as he drove home along this very road. Since then, the farmer has only been able to harvest his land twice.

For two years after the shooting, Israel officially closed the road and cordoned off the surrounding area for security purposes, leaving Nahed stranded and unable to reach his land. In 2003, the road was re-opened and Nahed was given permission by the Israeli authorities to return but found he was still unable to farm. Although he had nothing to do with the death of the soldier, residents of the settlement wanted to take his land from him in order to build a park and monument dedicated to the soldier’s memory. Nahed volunteered to give the settlers a portion of his land to build their monument on but was not prepared to surrender everything. These fields have been in his family for generations, serving as their primary source of income and are currently planted with over 500 olive trees.

Ongoing harassment

Despite Nahed’s offer, the settlers remained adamant that he should not be allowed to continue there. From then on, according to Nahed, the farm became a focal point for the settlers’ frustration. Over a series of attacks between 2003 and 2007, the settlers destroyed half of his olive trees and uprooted his grape vines, as well as destroying a retaining wall and his water irrigation network. Nahed appealed to the Israeli authorities for protection. They came out to investigate and documented the damage but still the vandalism kept occurring.

Nahed patrols his land. Credit: Oxfam.

In 2007, Nahed, who was suffering financially from this ongoing harassment, began filing the paperwork to start legal proceedings against the perpetrators. Both sides entered arbitration, where the settlers eventually agreed to leave Nahed’s farm alone in exchange for a piece of his land on which they could build the soldier’s monument and visit at any time.

Getting back to turning a profit

Now Nahed says he is relieved because things on the farm are quiet and he can finally focus on production and getting back to turning a profit. In 2008 he joined the Aboud Agricultural Co-operative, which has just gained organic and Fairtrade certification for olive oil production through an Oxfam GB project, “Support to small and medium scale olive producers.” With funding from the European Commission, the Oxfam project aims to certify 30 Palestinian olive farming collectives as organic and Fairtrade. Through local partners, the Palestinian Farmers Union and Bethlehem University’s Fairtrade Development Centre, the farmers receive training on producing a quality product that can improve their livelihoods through the guarantee of a fair price. The project is also working with Zaytoun, an ethical trading company in the UK, to make sure the farmers’ products reach Fairtrade consumers abroad.

Nahed says he is really excited about the Fairtrade certification. After years of lost income, he can now harvest his olives and produce his oil knowing that he will recover the costs and receive a fair market price.

The monument to a murdered Israeli soldier built on Nahed’s farm. Credit: Oxfam.

In addition to the income he will earn from Fairtrade, Nahed says that he is grateful for the opportunity to have his product sold in European markets because he thinks it’s a way for Palestinians to be seen in a different light.

A sign of hope

Standing besides the stone monument the settlers erected on his land, Nahed says consumers should see his success as a sign of hope in a land where there is too much emphasis on the negative.

“In my case, we found a solution that everyone could live with. We should always look for these solutions,” he says.

In pictures: Fairtrade olive farming in the West Bank

Oxfam and Fairtrade Fortnight 2010

Where we work: occupied Palestinian territories and Israel.

For Fairtrade Fortnight, Willow Heske has sent this podcast from Jerusalem on the support being given to Palestinian olive oil producers in the West Bank by the Fairtrade Foundation, which is helping a traditional product reach new niche markets overseas.

You will need the latest version of Flash to use the audio player.

View a transcript of the podcast

In pictures: Fairtrade olive farming in the West Bank

Oxfam and Fairtrade Fortnight 2010

Where we work: occupied Palestinian territories and Israel

[Willow Heske]

Palestinian olive growers make some of the best olive oil in the world, but unless you have travelled to the holy land chances are you have never had the pleasure of tasting the fruit of trees that date back to Roman times.

Despite the capacity to produce a surplus of olive oil, Palestinian olive farmers have seen little reason to send their treasured oil abroad. Occupation makes exporting less than profitable- many farmers have lost their land and their trees and they lack access to Israeli controlled markets.

To put the incentive back into producing, Oxfam has come up with a plan to support olive growers by helping to certify their oil as Fairtrade, which means anywhere it is marketed the farmers are guaranteed to get a fair price.

Eman Hadweh from Bethlehem University’s Fairtrade Development Centre (FTDC) believes that the price will help Palestinian farmers see their potential in global markets:

[Eman Hadweh, FTDC]

Fairtrade provides an alternative marketing channel for Palestinian olive farmers, so if we go through the traditional channels to market olive oil it might be really difficult for them to have a competitive advantage over the other olive oil available in the world therefore it can really assist them in finding a niche market through which they can market their products.

[Willow Heske]

Knowing you can make a profit is a real incentive for Fairtrade farmers world-wide, but for Palestinian farmers Fairtrade isn’t just about reaching markets, its also about using their product to deliver a message. Raed Taha is the Director of the Anabtawi group, a Palestinian trading company working to market olive oil abroad. Raed says that when Western consumers see Palestinian olive oil on their supermarket shelves it can help raise awareness to the problems the farmers face:

[Raed Taha, Anabtawi]

The Palestinian issue, or the Palestinian example is probably the easiest way to link Fairtrade into the products. The Farmers are facing occupation, uprooting their trees, all those kinds of problems they are facing because of the occupation. So if we try to send a message saying that by buying this product you are supporting the farmers to continue their life, to improve their life, I think this is a very good hand to consumers.

People are paying not only to support the Palestinian farmers but to keep or support the original community, to support the life. I believe that the trade of fair trade products is going to improve dramatically in the coming years even with the economical crisis- still people they prefer to pay a premium to support other communities, you know, support the human culture in general.

[Willow Heske]

More than 100,000 Palestinians rely on olive farming as the primary source of their income, but no one in Palestine considers olive farming as just a regular job. There is a culture of olive farming that dates back hundreds of years, that links families to the land of their ancestors, and that serves as a source of Palestinian pride. Tayser Arabassi from the UK based ethical trading company Zaytoun says that while Fairtrade is improving the farmers lives the whole Fairtrade process- from the Palestinian tree to the European supermarket shelf- is about the power of perseverance.

[Tayser Arabassi, Zaytoun]

Just their daily life where they have to struggle, to keep on generating or trying to get some income some food for their children and families, and so on, from this background actually we have realized the importance and the necessity of trading their products fairly in the UK.

For the Palestinian farmers, its not a matter of option- its not optional whether they harvest or cultivate or not because the olive tree is not only a agricultural practice it’s a matter of honor, of dignity for them. The tree the land the heritage that is behind all of this, whether it is profitable or it losses they will carry on cultivating it.

[Willow Heske]

The Fairtrade olive oil from the Oxfam project is being marketed in health and specialty shops across Ireland and the UK under the Zaytoun label. You can show your support for the farmers by bringing a taste of Palestine home. For Oxfam GB in Jerusalem, this is Willow Heske.

To mark this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight (22 February-7 March), Oxfam’s Willow Heske reports on how Fairtrade is helping Palestinian olive growers to tap the potential of global markets.

Tael Misaf, a West Bank olive farmer, looks out across his groves in Beni Zeid. Credit: Oxfam.

For 100,000 Palestinians, olive oil is much more than just a condiment to drizzle over your salad. On the contrary, it’s a highly revered symbol of national pride, a familial bond linking generations to their ancestral land and a crucial part of their livelihood.

Difficult to make ends meet

For centuries, farming crops like olives has been the primary source of income for many Palestinians. Today, it’s proving less than profitable. Between land confiscations, the inability to access markets due to checkpoints and closures and water scarcity, farmers in the West Bank are having a hard time covering their costs and making ends meet.

Olive growers have been particularly hard hit. Despite having the capacity to produce a surplus, the high cost of exporting Palestinian products makes it difficult for the oil to get much further than Palestinian kitchens.

Tael Misaf, a farmer from the West Bank village of Beni Zeid, says that just seven years ago he was having to stockpile olive oil in his house.

“After the second intifada, I didn’t even think about selling my oil – all the markets were closed,” he explained.

“I stored the oil until it was spoiled and then I thought of giving up,” he added.

Instead of abandoning his trees though, Tael, and 31 other farmers from his village, formed the Beni Zeid Co-operative for Organic Olive Oil Production. Now Tael’s olive oil is selling, albeit in limited quantities, on the shelves of British specialty shops, delis and other food markets.

A premium price on global markets

A woman picking olives near Qalqilia. Credit: Oxfam.

With funding from the European Union and in partnership with the Palestinian Farmers Union and Bethlehem University’s Fairtrade Development Center, Oxfam GB has implemented a two year project that brings technical support and guidance to 30 collectives like Tael’s, so that their product can gain Fairtrade status and organic certification. Once their oil has been branded Fairtrade, it can reach global markets and fetch a premium price.

While Fairtrade has long been benefitting small-scale farmers across the globe, the project is the first of its kind in Palestine. The project is even more exciting because, at the end of 2008, the Palestinian olive growers’ product actually became the first olive oil in the world to gain the Fairtrade Labeling Organisation’s (FLO) international certification. The prized oil is now being marketed by Zaytoun, a UK-based ethical trading company that has entered into a long term contract with the farmers to buy whatever olive oil they are willing to sell.

Tael says the FLO certification and the agreement with Zaytoun inspires him to produce because he knows that he will recover his costs. Still, he says, there is something more important about Fairtrade.

“In this village we believe in gender equality, we don’t believe in child labour, we want equity in our work. The principal of Fairtrade is important to us,” the father of nine explains.

The Beni Zeid Co-operative was the first to gain Fairtrade certification through the project. Six other co-operatives, including one women’s co-operative, have since followed suit. By the time the project ends, Oxfam is hoping that all 30 co-operatives will be producing olive oil destined for European shelves.

A competitive advantage

Jamil Hijzin, a Project Coordinator with the Fairtrade Development Centre, says the most important thing for Palestinian olive growers is that Fairtrade gives the farmers new skills that can lead to financial independence. Through the project, the farmers receive training on marketing, management, pricing and reporting. Combined with a superior product, these tools can help give them a competitive advantage, no matter where they sell.

“Putting the co-operatives in the right position is the key. We invest in them but they need to use this to invest in themselves, too. When they really understand the whole picture they can plan correctly and strategically,” said Jamil.

Still, olive growers know it’s hard to plan ahead. Barriers such as the Israeli separation wall have cut off many farmers from their lands. Others suffer from harassment from Israeli settlers. In July 2009, settlers burned 1,500 olive trees in a single incident in the Palestinian village of Burin, located right outside Nablus, which is the second most important district for olive production. Hundreds of farmers were left without anything to harvest.

There are many things Palestinian olive farmers can’t control, but Jamil believes that with the right support to the olive oil sector the quantity and quality of Palestinian olive oil can still grow.

“Because olive oil is so important for Palestinian livelihoods, I don’t like to look at this as just a project,” says Jamil.

“Until obstacles for Palestinian farmers are removed efforts have to continue in this field,” he added.

Read more about Zaytoun and their work promoting ethical trading. Representatives from the Palestinian organisations featured in this story will be participating in events at this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight from 22 February to 7 March.

Find out about Oxfam’s free Fairtrade tea offer during Fairtrade Fortnight

In pictures: Fairtrade olive farming in the West Bank

Where we work: Occupied Palestinian territories and Israel.