Palestinian Farms are Suffering
The Palestinian economy has greatly deteriorated in the past couple decades. Israeli settlement expansions, checkpoints and the separation wall blanket the West Bank. Gaza has suffered a blockade since 2006 and three wars since 2008. In 2014, many family farms in Gaza were destroyed by bombs.
Unemployment is soaring throughout Palestine and eight out of ten Gaza families depend on food aid. Farming is one of the few ways for Palestinian families to put food on the table and generate income.
Restoring Family Farms in Palestine
Anera’s agriculture work reaches family farms in Palestine, from Rafah in southern Gaza to Jenin in the northern West Bank. From plots in family yards to larger fields in agricultural areas, Anera helps individual farmers and farming cooperatives make their lands more productive by using sustainable resources that are locally available.
In Gaza, where most of the two million residents barely eke out a living, Anera has helped hundreds of families by offering them immediate relief and long-term solutions through the use of land for agriculture.
In the early 2010s, Anera focused on helping families with a little farming know-how and enough green space to accommodate a greenhouse. Since the winter of 2014, in the wake of the war, Anera’s agriculture work expanded to revive family farms in Gaza that were either bombed or lay fallow, due to a lack of resources.
How It Works
Select
Through local partners, Anera identifies the neediest families with the best chance to succeed in farming—with women-headed households getting priority.
Prepare
Level, clear and prepare fields for planting, including setting up irrigation systems.
Plant
Based on farmers’ needs and the time of year, plant crops like olive trees, vegetables and fodder.
Train
Train farming families on the best practices for planting, composting, fertilizing, greenhouse management and making the best use of water.
Abed Saleh Laham and his family brought their small farm back to life with a little help from Anera donors.
