The Union of Agricultural Work Committee (UAWC) implements the project titled “contributing to improving the food security situation of low-income families” in Hebron
Hebron – UAWC implemented the project titled “contributing to improve the food security situation of low-income families in the most affected areas”, in seven villages of Hebron Province, funded by the Welfare Association. The villages are: Deir Al-Asal Al-Tahta, Al-Majd, Al-Kroum, Al-Shyoukh, Sa’er, Beit Oula and Shoyokh Al-Aroub
The UAWC pointed out that the project is implemented in partnership with the local agricultural and women committees, in addition to the cooperation of farmers, citizens and the local institutions such as village councils in the mentioned villages. However, the Union studied and analyzed the existing database, and it also identified the farmers’ demands that suit the
local communities and meet the needs of small-scale farmers and rural women in these communities.
The Union indicated that the direct beneficiaries of the project reached 97 farmers of the most affected social groups in terms of the aggressive Israeli procedures against them, the large number of unemployed workers, a lot of small-scale farmers, large families and female–headed families.
The project included building fifteen greenhouses in Al-Shyoukh, Sa’er and Beit Oula as well as distributing eighty female sheep for twenty farmers in Deir Al-Asal Al-Tahta and Al-Majd villages. Moreover, the Union distributed a hundred and fifty beehives for thirty farmers in Al- Shyoukh and Shyoukh Al-Aroub villages, in addition to thirty hen cages for thirty farmers from Al-Majd, Deir Al-Asal Al-Tahta and Al-Kroum.
The Union announced that the project supports the resistance of the small-scale Palestinian farmers, improve the standard of living to the targeted low-income families, and provides enough healthy food. All of which are through establishing a small productive and income-generating projects. Not to mention that establishing the greenhouses in the above mentioned areas lead to improving the standard of living to the beneficiary low-income families.
Furthermore, establishing small-scale sheep farming projects contribute in improving the income of the targeted families by selling part of the products; whether milk and dairy products or by selling some of the lambs. In addition, families consume part of the products, such as milk, dairy products and meat which contributes in providing part of the healthy food for the targeted families.
The Union mentioned that the beneficiaries received theoretical and practical training in greenhouses management skills, sheep farming skills, caring for bees and managing of poultry farms. The training helped in developing the right agricultural practices for small-scale farmers to ensure better agricultural production, as well as the adoption of the right and eco-friendly agricultural practices; which contribute to environmental sustainability. Moreover, the Union continuously follows-up the fields and offers its observations and instructions to the beneficiaries.
UAWC remarked that the local agricultural and women committees directly participated in choosing the beneficiaries, following-up and implementing the activities. However, these local grassroots institutions have the ability to understand the reality of their communities and their needs; which enhanced the ability of these institutions in communication skills and management of small development projects in the future.
Accordingly, the beneficiaries revealed that the project contributes to improving their standard of living since it aims to help poor families, especially large families and those have university students and disabled family members. Furthermore, the beneficiaries encouraged/supported the idea of having small income-generating projects, and particularly projects that can be developed and improved. The issue of raising prices and the family’s inability to meet their basic needs forced many families to work on developing the project to assure the sustainability of it in the long term by marketing their products.
It is noteworthy that the targeted areas are agricultural areas known for its poverty and high unemployment rate, where a large number of its residents used to depend primarily on their income from working inside the Green Line areas, but lost it as a result of the closures and preventing labor force from working over there. Giving the opportunity for poor and marginalized people to benefit from this project will provide a stable source of income for the beneficiary farm families, and will reduce the severity of poverty and raise the level of food security
The project comes within the Union’s objectives of improving the small-scale farmers’ standard of living and of strengthening their steadfastness on their land.