The ongoing blockade and loss of land in Gaza have trapped millions of Palestinians in a cycle of poverty. Vulnerable farmers face challenges that severely impact their livelihoods. With limited resources, they struggle to restore their economic resilience.
Olive trees are crucial to Palestine’s economy and culture, symbolizing identity and ties to the land.
At 5 years old, an olive tree can produce 44lb of olives, with just 13 pounds yielding 1 liter of pure olive oil. Through this initiative, farmers gain a stable source of food and income from olive trees and their products.
When you donate an olive tree, Human Appeal provides healthy, fruit-bearing trees, not just seeds. To date, 30,480 olive trees have been planted across 1,016 dunums of land in Gaza, helping 1,016 farmers and 5,792 people.
You’ve entrusted us with your donation so that we can make the most of your mercy. Let’s hear from Fadi, Human Appeal Project Officer on how your mercy helps to plant seeds of hope through our olive tree project in Gaza.
I am a Programs Officer and have been with Human Appeal since December 2022. For the olive trees project we follow a selection criteria for choosing farmers according to the size of the family, total income, land size and the salination level in the soil.
Olives are a symbol of resilience for the Palestinian people. Planting olive trees makes a big difference because it resists the soil salination and has the power to resist poor soil conditions. It offers economic value with a few products (olives and oil extraction for example ).
The life of a tree is more than 20 years. So far we have planted 30,480 trees on 1016 dunums. This is an 8-month project; during which all farmers are trained in olive tree care. We expect each dunum to produce 180 liters of oil.
Olive trees are important and the most popular tree. They can be planted in many kinds of soil. We help families by training them to take care of the trees and harvesting them at the most suitable time. Before planting, we conduct many soil tests to assess the salination level, check for pests, and any diseases in the soil before starting the planting process. If we didn’t conduct these tests, the crop might fail because the olives might face high level of salination. These kinds of agricultural projects require soil testing to assess the suitability of the land for the proposed project.
This project enhances the resilience of Palestinian farmers as it provides economic power for farmers to compete in the vegetable market. We give them support after the project’s implementation to assure the continued market value of the crop.
We ensure value for money in the project by continuous evaluation and monitoring to align with best practices and improve any future implementation of this project.
“Those who are merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful to those on the earth and the One above the heavens will have mercy upon you.”
Source - Tirmidhi
I am Salwa Ahmad Ibrahim Abu Said, a farmer from Wadi Salqa; I have a family of 10 people.
Farmers in Gaza suffer from many things and colonization is a huge problem for us. Sometimes our lands are confiscated, and other times they spray insecticides to kill the soil.
We are the most vulnerable in the country. We need help and the chemicals can be too expensive. The harvested fruits sometimes don’t sell for a good price and sometimes it is not even worth the cost of the pesticides.
This is the source of income we rely on mainly, and sometimes we rely on farming chickens. We breed goats and plant trees.
The association told us about the olive trees project. We thought it could be good for us and decided to plant it along with the other crops. We registered for the olive trees project with Human Appeal, and they delivered olive trees and hoses too.
We watered the trees with the hoses, and the olive trees are still young. InshaAllah, in the future we will harvest olives.
Olive trees require 3 years after the planting before they can be harvested. The olive trees project can be a future a source of income.
Olives, as they say, are the basis of every home; they are the soul of the home. Regardless if it was olives or olive oil nobody could live without it. Even if there was no olive oil at home, I can buy it.
The olive tree is a blessed tree; it has a special place in our hearts. I can say I love it most; it is the most beloved tree among all trees.
We love this project. They say this is a lifelong tree. For us it is a source of income and when it grows it will secure our food. It has many uses.
These trees provided about 2.4 gallons of oil this year.
We harvest these trees in autumn every year, and the olive tree is known to live forever; it has no expiry date. Olive trees get planted everywhere. If the farmer wants to plant vegetables or anything else, he surrounds the land with olive trees so he could have olive trees and seasonal planting.
We are all neighbors here; we all plant olive trees. Even if the piece of land is very small, you will find that the owner has planted some olive trees. Because they depend on olive oil for food and income. If a farmer has two hectares, he would rather plant olive trees for a source of income and to also to use some of it at home. He can sell the olives and olive oil if he has extra.
We thank everyone who participated in this project, and those who helped us.
The project is successful and alhamdulilah we were able to benefit from it.
Our admin fee enables us to make the most of your mercy
Delivering at this level in some of the most dangerous, inhospitable and inaccessible places on earth is not an easy task. We are hands-on custodians of your donations to ensure they reach the right people with the maximum effect.
A maximum of 12.5% of your Zakat goes to support our admin costs, which covers our monitoring of projects, protection of those we work with, and raising of more funds, helping to keep our projects safe, sustainable, and of the greatest impact.
Charity is a gift, offering endless mercy to those who give, as well as mercy to the vulnerable people who receive it. Our admin fee helps us to get your donation to where you intended it. That’s why we like to think of it as the stamp on the envelope of your mercy.
