By: Reem Barakat

Fukin village is besieged by Israeli settlements from all sides

Exclusive to Environment and Development Horizons:

Indigenous people’s agri-food systems carry valuable knowledge embodied in the practices they follow to manage their environmental resources. The agri-food system witnessed a transition in the past few decades, due to the rise of globalization, modernization, and industrialization. Additionally, many indigenous societies face colonization in which lands are confiscated, and that further affected indigenous agri-food systems. The indigenous agri-food system in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) was similarly exposed to the previously mentioned influences, and that created many obstacles for indigenous farmers. A case study research was conducted in the Palestinian Wadi Fukin village, identifying the characteristics of the village’s agri-food system and documenting many of its traditional practices. Moreover, the research explored the transition which impacted this indigenous agri-food system and the challenges resulting from this transition, and finally the scope for using the indigenous knowledge as a developmental resource in the future of Palestinian farmers.

Introduction to Wadi Fukin village

Wadi Fukin village is located in the South-West of Bethlehem city, and is part of the Bethlehem governorate and it is famous for its agricultural heritage. The agricultural sector is dominant as the main economic activity in the village, absorbing 60% of the total force. After the 1967 war and the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza strip, Israeli settlements and military bases were constructed on large areas of Palestinian land. Consequently, Wadi Fukin village was bordered with two Israeli settlements to its east and north: Betar Illit and Hadar Betar. Furthermore and according to the Oslo II agreement, the West Bank was divided into A, B and C areas. A and B areas are the built-up areas designated to the Palestinian population, and are under the Palestinian Authority control, whereas C areas are the land mass surrounding A and B areas and these areas are under full Israeli control. As part of the West Bank, Wadi Fukin village is divided into B and C areas, where area C consists of 92.7% of the total area (around 3817 dunums).

Wadi Fukin’s indigenous population faced many attempts of removal by the Israeli occupation, and they were forced to leave their village in 1954 and flee to nearby refugee camps. However, for almost 20 years, the villagers never left their lands, as they used to go back to their village every morning to farm their lands, and at night they would go back to the refugee camps until they were allowed to return to their village in 1972 after several negotiations with the military’s governor at that time. This affirms their strong relationship with the land, of which they relied on for their living.

The characteristics of the traditional agri-food system in Wadi Fukin

The traditional agri-food system in Wadi Fukin village has several characteristics. It is a small-scale production system that is family oriented, where the excess of production is used in trading. This system enabled farmers over a long period of time to attain high self-sufficiency levels relying mainly on human and animal force, while rarely depending on high-level technology and on external products. Wadi Fukin village in specific was distinguished as the food basket and main exporter of food to Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Hebron districts. Some of its famous traditional crop types include white cucumbers, eggplants, beans, pumpkins, parsley, zucchini, tomatoes, rocket, kale, beet and spinach. As for fruit trees, these include peaches, apples, pomegranates, pears, figs, grapes in addition to almond and olive trees. Furthermore, two types of agriculture were practiced in the village: rainfed (Ba’li) agriculture and irrigated agriculture. Last but not least, the availability of eleven water springs in the village resulted in a very fertile landscape in which livestock owners from nearby villages used to visit regularly to feed their herds, and therefore big amounts of natural manure were available and used in the village for land fertilization.

Wadi Fukin’s traditional practices in the agri-food sector

Through interviews with indigenous farmers about their agri-food system, some traditional practices were mapped down and those will be summarized here. Food preservation was widely discussed by the indigenous informants as an important part of their traditional heritage, and it was explained that many types of food were preserved and stored for later use. This included various types of fruits, vegetables and grains such as tomatoes, zucchini, figs, grapes, wheat, lentils and barley. Meat and milk were also preserved in a time where fridges were rare. The meat preservation process for example began with heating the meat in water without salt or any other additions, and then stored in a clay jar while leaving 10-15 cm of space empty. Afterwards, the meat’s fat would be distilled and melted down, to be added in the empty space in order to close the meat’s pores.

Another traditional practice is land plowing, which aims to prepare the land for planting through several steps. This process was dependant on animals such as cows, mules and donkeys that would pull the tilling tool throughout the field while using metal trails designed specifically for this purpose. As for the irrigation system, it was called the “Machakeb irrigation system”, and it means the division of land into basins that are used for planting vegetables, and are irrigated through land/soil channels due to the continuous and strong flow of the water spring. In this system, the water is directed through opening channels in the land while closing others, so that eventually the water can reach all basins. Agricultural pools were introduced to the village later on, following a water division system where farmers use the water coming from the spring in turns, to make sure everyone receives their fair share of water.

As mentioned before, agriculture in its two forms: irrigated and rainfed (Ba’li) were both practiced in the village. However, Ba’li agriculture was mostly practiced on mountains, growing crop types such as tomatoes, zucchinis and Armenian cucumbers. According to the farmers, crops that are planted following this method are more delicious in comparison with crops grown in greenhouses nowadays, because they get exposed to the sunlight. Additionally, they believe that Ba’li crops are stronger and tougher with better immunity against soil and fungi diseases. Other traditional methods include integrated pest management, where natural resistance strategies are applied to fight harmful pests, like using natural insects that feed on other harmful insects for instance.

The transition in the agri-food system in Wadi Fukin village

The agri-food system in Wadi Fukin village witnessed a transition from a traditional agri-food system into an industrialized and modernized system. The new agri-food system became dependant on agricultural machinery and new technologies, agrochemicals, pesticides and herbicides. Moreover, there is an increasing need for external and additional income resources, besides agriculture in order to afford high living expenses. The practice of rain-fed agriculture (Ba’li) almost disappeared in the village and irrigated agriculture is now dominant, in addition to planting in greenhouses. Additionally, the consumption habits have also changed as the younger generation nowadays prefers to consume processed foods available at supermarkets, instead of the fresh produce from the land. The younger generation nowadays is also drifting away from farming and is interested in pursuing other career options such as governmental or private jobs, or working in Israeli settlements for higher wages. Finally, the village’s important role as the main provider of food to nearby districts have changed, and Wadi Fukin’s farmers became marginalized and are facing strong local and external competition.

The challenges faced by the traditional agri-food system

This transition created many challenges for the indigenous farmers and their traditional methods, and those challenges can be linked to many factors including globalization, modernization, industrialization, and colonization. Those challenges include increased local competition, changes in consumption preferences, the replacement of human and animal force with machineries and new technologies, the increasing use of agrochemicals which is partially linked to the unusual spread of soil diseases, the decrease in land productivity and food quality in comparison with the past, tough economic situations where production costs cannot cover the high living expenses anymore, trade commissions, and finally water scarcity problems due to the drop in rainfall rates.

However, the Israeli occupation created additional challenges for the Palestinian farmers. First, the Israeli competition poses a big challenge, as the Palestinian markets are full with Israeli products. Second, public participation in governmental decisions is impaired, especially in reference to the Paris economic agreement with Israel of which implications highly affected Palestinian farmers. Third, Israel imposed many land use restrictions on the Palestinian population, and the landscape that was previously used by shepherds for grazing has now shrunk due to these restrictions and to land confiscation, and this has consequently affected animals and farmers’ ability to raise them. Fourth, the use of specific natural fertilizers is restricted, especially those containing sulfur which is a natural decomposing material, because it can be used in making explosives. Fifth, the younger generation is now tempted to work in Israeli settlements and factories because of higher wages. Last but not least, there is some kind of uncertainty of what will happen next on the political level, and how the surrounding settlements will further affect the Palestinian population in Wadi Fukin village.

The indigenous knowledge as a future developmental resource

Finally, the indigenous knowledge in the agri-food sector is believed to be somewhat suitable as a future developmental resource for indigenous farmers, because it enables them to take a Palestinian political action against land expropriation and to build a productive economy. However, such a proposition requires taking many other aspects and complications into account, and of course further research. Nevertheless, there are some steps that can already be initiated, such as the boycotting of Israeli products with the aim of breaking the economic dependency on Israel. Additionally, the reclamation and cultivation of lands is an important way to proof the right of ownership and existence for Palestinian farmers. And most importantly, the transmitting of indigenous knowledge through generations is highly encouraged, and the educational and social systems can play an important role in facilitating this transmission.