JENIN, West Bank — Fares Hussein and his family have been farming olive trees in Burqin, a Palestinian village in the northern West Bank, for more generations than he can count. But today it’s organic farming — the techniques of his ancestors with a modernized twist — that keeps his land sustainable throughout rocky times.
On one of the remaining days of the autumn olive harvest, the 67-year-old Hussein, armed with a ladder and large comb, shook the last of his crop onto a tarp covering the bright brown soil.
“Organic farming is advantageous to non-organic because of the higher price, quality, and good taste. There are more opportunities for work.” Hussein says, also praising the health benefits of the practice. “Organic farming extends [Palestinian] channels to Europe and America.”
Hussein is part of a growing cadre of more than a thousand farmers in the Palestinian territories who have switched to organic farming, a practice that avoids the use of chemicals. Palestinian farmers face many obstacles — from restrictions on movement and water usage under Israeli military occupation to limited rainfall and changing temperatures — but the international organic market is proving a markedly profitable high-end outlet.
In an ironic turn, the domestic organic market remains negligible, as the products providing Palestinian farmers one of the brightest prospects for employment are not affordable for the average cash-strapped consumer.
Hussein is a member of the Palestine Fair Trade Association, or PFTA, a nongovernmental organization supporting farming that is organic and fair in trade, a practice that ensures fair prices, alongside its sister production company, Canaan Fair Trade. Both are located in Jenin, a northern Palestinian city historically renowned for its agriculture.
PFTA’s 1,700 farmers and cooperative members sell crops at above-market prices to Canaan, which then produces and exports high-end olive oil, almonds, spices such as za’atar, and grains like fareekah. Canaan distributes all around the world, including to Whole Foods, Swiss Air Lines, and Ben and Jerry’s.
Today, Canaan Fair Trade is the largest exporter of “Made in Palestine,” while the PFTA has added more than a third more farmers since 2013 because of the growing demand, according to PFTA Manager Mohamed Ruzzi. Canaan’s profits overall have been steadily increasing: in 2014 exports surpassed $7.8 million — the highest yet — followed by the second best year of nearly $6 million in 2015, according to Administrative Manager Ahmed Abu Farha.
“As Palestinians, as farmers, we say the most important thing is to find a way to market our own products sustainably,” Ruzzi says.
And the movement is growing — hesitantly. There are several Palestinian environmental centers promoting organic techniques across the West Bank, like the Auja Eco Center in Jericho, which provides workshops and organic waste to local farmers.
“It’s [organic] a good market to start in Palestine,” says Manager Mahmud Drieat. “I see some development. Still, it’s a shy one.”
There are, after all, natural and political barriers impeding growth.
Around 2.5 million Palestinians live in the semi-autonomous West Bank under Israeli military occupation. Palestinian farmers face difficulties accessing their agricultural land due to military regulations, while Israeli settlers often encroach on their fields and compete, sometimes violently, for resources. Israeli authorities control all West Bank imports and exports as well as most water and well supplies. According the United Nations, about 10 percent of Palestinian farmland is cut off from the West Bank behind the Israeli separation barrier, which Israel says is for security reasons.
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Many Palestinian pipes and irrigation systems are also old and prone to leaks, while the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture is institutionally weak and provides limited support, Ruzzi says.
Under these conditions, organic farming that relies on rainwater is optimal. Still, Hussein says this year his yields were “less than average” and he attributed the decline to unusually hot weather and low rain. Longer drier periods as a result of climate change hit Palestinian farmers particularly hard because of their already limited financial resources, and provide breeding ground for new pests.
When Canaan and PFTA started a decade ago, dashed hopes for a Palestinian state had given rise to despair and violence. Despite the challenges, they considered organic farming the best way forward. Today the two-state peace process remains deferred, but international demand for organic “Made in Palestine” products is rising — and so are the financial incentives for farmers.
This year, PFTA farmers sold their organic olives for about 25.5 shekels, or $6.6, and almonds for $5.1 per kilogram (2.2 pounds) to Canaan, according to Ruzzi. Those prices are roughly $1 per kilo more than on the regular market.
Canaan exported more than 1 million kilograms of olive oil, constituting 70-80 percent of all Palestinian olive oil exports, Abu Farha says. Canaan projects sales to grow to $10.3 million in 2017 and $14.3 in 2018, according to figures provided by Abu Farha. Nearly half of exports currently reach the United States, with 20 percent going to the United Kingdom. The Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, Canada, represent other significant export destinations.
Overall, the olive industry has comprised around 25 percent of the West Bank’s agricultural income and provided livelihoods for over 100,000 families, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture. At a time when West Bank unemployment is 26 percent, the World Bank estimates, PFTA is working to secure farmers fair and sustainable work environments.
Around 1,000 of PFTA’s farmers are organic and fair trade certified, another 300 are in the one-to-three year process of converting their fields to organic, and the remainder produce only fair trade, says Ruzzi.
The barriers remain tall, as cheap Israeli fruits and vegetables dominate the smaller Palestinian market, while many farmers still prefer the quick fixes of pesticides and, on their own, lack access to organic markets
Nonetheless, Canaan and PFTA see more room for growth. In 2014 they established the Canaan Center for Organic Research and Extension (CORE) to focus on scientifically increasing organic’s profitability and sustainability and developing their own solutions. When an almond seed wasp, which thrives in hot conditions, threatened crops, CORE crafted techniques specifically designed for their farmers to fight it off, says CORE Director Sameer Jarrar.
Step by step, Jarrar explains, they are developing more ways to both preserve their Palestinian heritage and cultivate a sustainable farming future.
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Palestinians See a Bright Future in Organic Farming originally appeared on usnews.com
