A farmer harvests strawberries at a farm in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, on Jan. 4, 2022. TO GO WITH "Feature: Gazan farmers adopt green economy to reap financial harvest" (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
by Sanaa Kamal
GAZA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Each morning, more than 140 Palestinian farmers, men and women, gathered in the town of Beit Lahia in the Gaza Strip to grow crops to sell locally or in Israel.
"This scene has long been absent from a town famous for being an agricultural area, due to the difficult political and economic conditions," Munir Hamdouna, a 63-year-old farm owner in the town of Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, told Xinhua.
As a father of 13, Hamdouna said he was happy to see the resumption, noting that he has resorted to a local agriculture initiative as part of Gaza's pursuit of a green economy that emphasizes both eco-friendliness and profits.
Over the years, the Gaza Strip witnessed a noticeable decrease in the number of farmers due to shrinking arable lands in the face of urban expansion, as well as floundered exports under Israel's blockade since Hamas' takeover in 2007.
Hamdouna noted that 15 years ago, he fell into a dire situation due to workforce shortage, and he had to sell some of his 30-dunam farms to make ends meet, and kept only about seven dunams as a family lifeline, a portion that was still expensive to take care of due to high diesel prices.
"The production cost was very high, while the sales were insignificant, which lead to huge losses," lamented the man, noting that this prompted all his children to not follow his suit.
Hamdouna grows many crops, including tomato, cucumber, strawberry, melon, guava, and many others, which take much time to plant and harvest.
One of the modern farming methods he applied was hanging strawberry, a method for saving space, making room for other types of berries. Another one is the use of renewable energy and rainwater.
Hamdouna's farm is one of two pilot projects recently launched in the Gaza Strip.
"The aim of establishing these two farms is to reduce environmental risks and achieve sustainable development without leading to a state of environmental degradation," Noha al-Sharif, public relations officer at the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Society, told Xinhua, adding that modern farming may help strengthen the resilience of Gaza residents.
Farm administrators were also exploring agri-tourism, as a rest stop was set up hanging over the branches of a sycamore tree that is more than 50 years old.
Mustafa al-Rifi, the engineer supervising the project, told Xinhua that "the rest stop takes approximately 50 percent of the overall profit of the farm, as domestic tourists prefer to spend their time in nature," he added.
Muhammad Suleiman, one of the farmers, told Xinhua that he could finally get a permanent job that helps him to feed his family.
The 38-year-old father of four adds that he earns about 100 dollars per week, which is enough for his daily expenses, a huge hike from less than 40 dollars during the past, when he had to apply for food aid.
He expressed his hope to see more creative initiatives and projects implemented to help thousands of farmers restore to their former jobs. ■
A farmer works at a strawberry farm in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, on Jan. 4, 2022. TO GO WITH "Feature: Gazan farmers adopt green economy to reap financial harvest" (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
A farmer harvests strawberries at a farm in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, on Jan. 4, 2022. TO GO WITH "Feature: Gazan farmers adopt green economy to reap financial harvest" (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
A farmer harvests strawberries at a farm in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, on Jan. 4, 2022. TO GO WITH "Feature: Gazan farmers adopt green economy to reap financial harvest" (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
A farmer harvests strawberries at a farm in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun, on Jan. 4, 2022. TO GO WITH "Feature: Gazan farmers adopt green economy to reap financial harvest" (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua)
