Agricultural Development

Farming is a long and proud tradition around the world. Throughout the Middle East olive trees, citrus trees, greenhouses and goats dot the landscape as symbols of a family's self-reliance and a community's source of jobs and food.

ANERA has benefited many thousands of Middle Eastern families and communities committed to the cultivation and maintenance of this great tradition. We seek to advance the health of family farms with services that range from assisting in the provision of machinery, such as tractors and olive presses, to the construction of market access roads as well as irrigation and rain water harvesting systems.

In the last two years, from 2007-2009, the majority of our agricultural work has been done in the West Bank.

WEST BANK

Working with Agricultural Cooperatives
From the beginning, in 1968, ANERA has been aiding agricultural cooperatives in the Middle East. With funding through ACDI/VOCA, ANERA worked for 15 months with 5 cooperatives in the West Bank to help farmers produce high-quality vegetables that are competitive in local Palestinian and Israeli markets. From constructing new greenhouses to providing technical expertise, ANERA has been able to raise the income level of over 300 West Bank farmers. Read more about the program.

Rehabilitation and Development Project
With funding from the U.N. International Fund for Agricultural Development, ANERA has built nine miles of farm-to-market roads, established a health clinic, erected three new community centers, completed two village water networks, and put in place a farming irrigation system. Read how this work has made a difference in people's lives.

GAZA & LEBANON

In 2008-2009, starting with just $20,000, ANERA has employed over 80 workers and helped revitalize an area of land in Gaza polluted by plastic mulch and plastic greenhouse covers. Removing all of the waste is essential to future cultivation and serves as a perfect alternative to the farmers who, with very few options, would normally burn all of the waste. Instead, the waste is collected and taken to a recycling unit to be reconstituted into bags and irrigation pipes. The project has been renewed, with funding of $100,000. The major funders of the project are the Firedoll Foundation and the U.S. Organization for Medical and Educational Needs (U.S. OMEN). Read more.

In 2007, with funding from USAID, ANERA constructed 13 retaining walls, six culverts and two irrigation pools in Lebanon.