A better winter season in sight in the West Bank

Photo: Susie Shapira (www.susieshapira.com)

According to a recent Oxfam assessment in the Jordan Valley, where most households make a living from farming, the population finds it increasingly difficult to pay for water,
fertiliser and animal feed. These challenges, combined with very strict movement restrictions imposed by the Israeli Civil Administration, the lack of pasture available for the herds and the poor rainfall in recent years, have resulted in a deterioration of the ability of many people to meet their basic needs.

In Al Far'a, north of Nablus, a project funded by the European Union Humanitarian Aid Department (DG-ECHO) is well under way. Oxfam is carrying out this project through our local partner, the Economic and Social Development Center (ESDC). Already, herders are getting the support they need for their flocks. New greenhouses have been built for farmers, seedlings have been distributed, open fields rehabilitated and a touch of bright green now covers the land as far as the eye can see.

Photo: Susie Shapira (www.susieshapira.com)

In the small greenhouse built for Assad Sa'ed Baraneh and his family in Al Far'a, cucumbers will be harvested in a few days. "We are not going to wait to get the biggest cucumbers in the West Bank," he says, laughing. "We will harvest them as soon as they are big enough to eat!" Assad will harvest a total of 200 kilograms of organically grown cucumbers fertilised with homemade compost.

Photo: Susie Shapira (www.susieshapira.com)

Here, ECHO funding was essential to provide farmers with greenhouses. Each of the 65 people that we are working with will get a greenhouse, a water tank, seeds, seedlings and irrigation pipes.

For Assad's family the extra 90 square metres provided by the greenhouse help him better feed his family of 17. "We used to cultivate rain fed crops outside but we never planted cucumbers. Thanks to the project, we will have free cucumbers all year around. Being able to grow crops like this will help us feed our big family. I'm happy about this initiative. The priority is the family but if we have a surplus, we will sell it at the local market."

Photo: Susie Shapira (www.susieshapira.com)

A short stroll from Assad's house, Faris Salahat is just back from grazing his flock of sheep. Faris and his wife Amira received two sheep some four years ago from another project and did a fantastic job managing the livestock. So much so that their herd has now grown to 25.

"We married ten years ago and my husband was working as a labourer. Our income was very low. We also had a small piece of land but we never managed to have a good return on it. The first five years of our marriage we had a lot of debts and the stress caused problems between us," says Amira.

"Since we started to raise cattle, we are doing much better. We cleared our debts and we are almost self-sufficient. With the money we make out of selling calves, we have started to build a bigger house. My husband and I co-operate very well, and since we both work hard towards the same goal, we don't argue as much. He feeds the animals, takes them grazing and I milk the sheep and I make the cheese and the yogurt."

Like 120 other herders, Faris will receive two tons of barley, mineral supplements for the animals and the services of local vet Luay.

"Farmers are motivated", says Luay. "We hold trainings where everybody is encouraged to express what problems they are facing with their flocks and together we try to find solutions. It's also about getting the farmers to slowly change their way of doing things and managing their flocks. It takes time but already more herders are vaccinating the animals and understanding how beneficial it is."

Amira bids us farewell: "Come to see me in two years, I will give you a tour of my new house, insha' Allah (God willing)!"

Also see: Supporting West Bank farmers

**The photos use to illustrate this story are courtesy of photojournalist Susie Shapira (www.susieshapira.com)