ABOUT DUTCH PROGRAM
Improving livelihood in the Occupied Palestinian Territories - West Bank
Summary:
This program is funded by the Minster of Development and Cooperation through the Netherlands Representative Office (NRO) in Palestine. It is a development program in agriculture and rural development and it is a continuation to the previous program that has been closed the end of June 2009. The start of planning for this program followed the end of evaluation mission for the previous program and which has indicated a real need for replicating that program and has recommended funding similar programs. The program is implemented by a consortium of five Palestinian NGOs, led by PARC, working in agricultural sector and rural development. These are Agricultural Development Associations (PARC), Palestinian Hydrology Groups for Water and Environment Resources Development (PHG), Land Research Centre (LRC), Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) and Rural Women Development Society (RWDS). This program consisted of five sub- projects, where each of the five organizations carried certain activities at different locations aiming at improving livelihood in the occupied Palestinian territories in West Bank.
Furthermore, the program is implemented in a close cooperation with the Ministry of agriculture who is responsible for the provision of the extension services to all beneficiaries of the program. The Ministry is in charge of the preparation of the national strategy for the agricultural extension in the Palestinian Territories. In this way, the program will give a very good example of cooperation between the MoA and the major non-governmental organizations working in agricultural sector.
The overall objective of this program is to contribute in the improvement of access to food for vulnerable population in rural areas of the West Bank. Its specific objective (purpose) is to protect and improve access to natural resources in the targeted locations of rural areas in the West-Bank.
The action is targeting 75 locations (villages, small towns) in the Palestinian territories distributed in the West Bank. Out of them, around 50 locations are either considered as highly vulnerable locations as they are close to the apartheid wall, settlements or located in the Jordan Valley, and the allocated budget for the activities to be implemented in these locations constitutes around 39% of total program’s contribution. The program duration is 36 months and the implementation duration for the five NGOs is 30 months.
The program aimed to achieve four main results:
1. Agricultural land surface areas in the targeted locations are increased and served in better way.
2. Water for agricultural purposes increased and available resources in the targeted locations used efficiently.
3. Know-how and skills of the target groups in the targeted locations are improved,
4. Extension services provided to farmers in the field of fruit trees and irrigation water management improved.
The action included the following list of activities:
5. Opening and rehabilitation of 100km of agricultural roads,
6. Development of 250 home gardens, which includes construction of rainwater cisterns, installation of irrigation networks and planting of seeds and seedling in the home gardens.
7. Construction of 100 cement pools (100m3/pool) for rainwater harvesting from the roof-tops of green houses,
8. Rehabilitation and expansion of collective irrigation networks amounting to (37) km. This also includes construction of 10 water reservoirs with sizes of (500 – 1000m3)/reservoir
9. Comprehensive land reclamation of mountainous land (leveling, terracing, plowing, cleaning, trees plantation, intercropping and fencing) of (300) hectares in west Bank.
10. Rehabilitation of around (195) hectare of agricultural land including construction of stony retaining walls; along agricultural roads and for the sake of rehabilitation of agricultural land suffering from erosion of soil and construction of agricultural cisterns and seedlings of various fruit trees.
11. Rehabilitation of 6 agricultural ground water wells,
12. Construction and rehabilitation of 25 agricultural earth ponds.
13. Conducting of 100 training for farmers and women.
14. Conducting 10 Training courses for the staff in the implementing organizations,
15. Installing of 100 Demos for irrigation scheduling,
16. Publishing of 40 brochures, books, posters, pamphlets and filming.
17. Providing regular extension to farmers in the targeted locations in the field of horticulture and irrigation,
18. Outside country study tours (in the Netherlands and neighboring countries).
19. Preparation of national strategy for agricultural extension.
20. Web Site (Design & Update).
21. Base line survey.
22. Conducting 140 workshops.
The program targeted four main groups:
1. Farmers in both rain fed and irrigated agriculture,
2. Rural women,
3. Un-employed workers
4. Staff of the implementing organizations and Ministry of Agriculture.
The number of farmers that are expected to benefit from this action is equal to about 3350 farmers (2,380 from Land development, 720 from irrigation, and 250 from home gardens), while around 12,200 workers will benefit from 145,000 temporary jobs created. The areas of lands that are going to be reclaimed are 300 Hectares, while around 190 Hectare will be rehabilitated.
