Plantation project to cover ten villages west of Jerusalem

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Nearly ten Palestinian villages north and west of Jerusalem have benefited,  according to a technical report, from a plantation project aimed at assisting Palestinian farmers, hard hit by Israel's Separation Wall, to hold on to their lands.

The project was initiated in 2006 by the Arab Group for the Protection of Nature, financed by the Qatari Iitilaf El-Kheir group and run by the Palestinian Al-Ahali Community Development Centre in coordination with the Palestinian Agricultural Committees.  

Israel's building of the Wall across large parts of the occupied West Bank has led to the isolation of Palestinian agricultural lands, causing damage to infrastructure, roads and water resources triggering high unemployment rates and severe economic conditions.

The project's objectives include:

• Helping Palestinian farmers to hold on to their isolated lands.     
•  Protecting these lands from the threat of confiscation.         
•  Creating stable income resources to combat poverty.       
•  Contributing to efforts to find solutions to the economic and social problems experienced by Palestinian farmers. The project is expected to provide 35 job opportunities per annum.

More than 400 farmers have so far planted olive and fruit saplings in 2000 dunums of land as part of the project the cost of which was estimated at 45 thousand dollars.  Saplings are being bought from Palestinian nurseries and farmers pay 20 % of the total value. So far, nearly 18 thousand including olive saplings have been distributed to farmer to plant in their lands.

 

Palestinian agricultural organizations are offering the farmers technical assistance and guidance. Planting of the saplings is providing job opportunities and is expected to increase farmers' incomes.

Technical Progress Report,  22/6/2007 (Arabic)