- Title: Palestinians launch organic farming project to save land from confiscation
- Date: 6th October 2016
- Summary: BIL'IN, WEST BANK (OCTOBER 3, 2016) (REUTERS) GREEN HOUSE AT ORGANIC FARM VARIOUS OF WATER SPRINKLING ON CROPS CROPS AND SETTLEMENT IN BACKGROUND CO-FOUNDER OF OM SLEIMAN ORGANIC FARM, MUHAB AL-ALAMI, WALKING AND WATERING CROPS CHILLI PEPPERS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CO-FOUNDER OF OM SLEIMAN ORGANIC FARM, MUHAB ALAMI, SAYING: "We thought about starting this farm partially to preserve this land and to achieve food security for us (Palestinians)." AL-ALAMI WALKING AND WATERING CROPS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CO-FOUNDER OF OM SLEIMAN ORGANIC FARM, MUHAB ALAMI, SAYING: "The intensive organic farming method that we follow can produce four times more than chemical farming, but in order to be able to reach this amount of productivity, you will need a certain period of time from two to four years. Also, because 80 percent of the water is controlled by the Israelis, we are using certain systems that can save around 50 to 60 (percent) of consumed water to avoid these complications (in productivity)." VARIOUS OF ROWS OF CROPS / SETTLEMENT IN BACKGROUND (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CO-FOUNDER OF OM SLEIMAN ORGANIC FARM, MUHAB ALAMI, SAYING: "It (the organic farm) follows the CSA model that relies on the direct support from the consumer to the agriculture. Whoever believes in our idea will invest a certain amount of money that we agree on, in which we arrange with him the type of vegetables that he will receive on a weekly basis, and we'll deliver them to him in a basket at a specific location." FARM LAND / SETTLEMENT IN BACKGROUND PEOPLE WITH DOG AND DONKEY ON FARM LAND SETTLEMENT HOUSING CO-FOUNDER OF OM SLEIMAN ORGANIC FARM, KEFAH MANSOUR, WATERING CROPS / DOG LOOKING ON VARIOUS OF MANSOUR WATERING CROPS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CO-FOUNDER OF OM SLEIMAN ORGANIC FARM, KEFAH MANSOUR, SAYING: "Look there, the Israelis work using advanced equipment, while we work using a small pickaxe and a garden fork and so on. Therefore, the idea is that we are able to work using the simple equipment. Any farmer can return to work, work on his land, and generate an income for him and his family from working on this land, so we hope that our project will succeed and have a big value, and be a model for other people to start working on their land." FARM LAND / SETTLEMENT IN BACKGROUND
- Embargoed: 21st October 2016 10:43
- Keywords: organic farm Palestinians West Bank Israel
- Location: BIL'IN, WEST BANK
- City: BIL'IN, WEST BANK
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Environment
- Reuters ID: LVA00152V6X5H
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Three young Palestinian men have launched an organic farm project on a piece of land overlooking an Israeli settlement, in the West Bank village of Bil'in.
They spent around $4,000 to prepare the land for farming, in a bid to save it from what they said was 'land confiscation' by the Israelis.
They also hoped to achieve food security for the local population through the community-driven project and reduce dependency on the Israeli market.
"We thought about starting this farm partially to preserve this land and to achieve food security for us (Palestinians)," said Muhab Alami, one of the co-founders of Om Sleiman organic farm.
He added that Om Sleiman organic farm conforms to the guidelines of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) - a model that traces its roots to experiments in cooperative farming in Germany and Japan in the 1960s, where you receive regular shipments of produce from a local farm - and has the potential to very productive.
"The intensive organic farming method that we follow can produce four times more than chemical farming, but in order to be able to reach this amount of productivity, you will need a certain period of time from two to four years. Also, because 80 percent of the water is controlled by the Israelis, we are employing certain systems that can save around 50 to 60 (%) of consumed water to avoid these complications (in productivity)," said Alami.
The farm is spread over 16 Donum (about 4 acres), and a quarter of it is planted with pepper, sweet potatoes, lemongrass, Kale and spinach.
Another co-founder, Kefah Mansour, said that anyone could start such a project with a low starting cost.
"Look there, the Israelis work using advanced equipment, while we work using a small pickaxe and a garden fork and so on. Therefore, the idea is that we are able to work using the simple equipment. Any farmer can return to work, work on his land, and generate an income for him and his family from working on this land, so we hope that our project will succeed and have a big value, and be a model for other people to start working on their land," Mansour said.
The young men have future plans of opening a small learning institution to teach other farmers the mechanics of organic farming, and to introduce them to a low-cost farming system. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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