Strengthening the livelihoods of the rural population
Project description
Title: Strengthening Sustainable Livelihoods in Rural Areas
Commissioned by: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Country: Palestinian Territories
Lead executing agency: Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture
Overall term: 2021 to 2024
Context
In the Palestinian territories, agriculture is not only an important pillar of economic development but also secures the livelihoods of the rural population. Around three quarters of all rural households engage in agriculture as a secondary activity, thereby earning additional income.
Furthermore, agricultural production serves as a social security system. However, this is under threat from advancing climate change: precipitation patterns are changing and the frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods and frost is increasing.
Objective
The economic prospects of the farming population of the West Bank have improved.
Approach
Expanding advisory services and networking in agriculture
The project is expanding agricultural advisory services in order to reach more small farmers. To this end, 200 advisors have already been trained on technical topics such as irrigation and climate change adaptation. The increasing networking of the participants also enables new joint advisory approaches.
Increasing water availability
The project creates infrastructure such as cisterns, storage reservoirs and water tanks to increase the availability of water and reduce the costs for farmers. Twelve infrastructure projects of this kind have already been implemented in cooperation with the Palestinian Hydrology Group, reaching a total of 1,200 small farmers.
Access to small loans and employment opportunities for women
Local savings groups have been established to increase access to small loans for women. This is supplemented by training sessions in which women learn to develop and implement business ideas. In addition, five women’s cooperatives are being supported in developing new products and increasing their sales with the Rural Women Development Society.
Last update: August 2021
