Despite the Israeli occupation lots of beautiful things still grow and flourish on the West Bank. About 25 kilometres from Ramallah, the well-read agro-ecologist Saad Dagher has his little paradise. On his five-hectare piece of land, Saad has an olive orchard and grows fruit and vegetables. He sells his harvest at local markets, in shops and on social media.
Key words: life work, pioneer, occupation, farmer
Get to know Saad in this video and read more about his work below.
Saad studied agricultural science in the former Soviet Union. Already as a student, he didn’t agree with convention agriculture, what he considered chemical agriculture. Back in Palestine, Saad witnessed how a farmer in the neighbourhood lost his two young children. They wanted to season their self-harvested cucumbers with salt, but they confused 'salt' with a bag of pesticides lying around. The children were poisoned and did not survive. After this, Saad's decision was clear: he would show that it was possible to produce food without chemicals.
Every year, hundreds of people from Palestina and abroad go to see Saad at work and listen to his inspiring views on agriculture. His company, The Humanistic Farm, has a double purpose: to produce food and to set an example for agroecological farmers. On top of that, Saad is co-founder of our local partner Palestine Agroecological Forum, a voluntary organisation of farmers and sympathizers who also practice and promote agroecology.
The fertile crescent
Saad’s region used to be called ‘the fertile crescent’ by many but lately it has rather become more like a desert. Saad believes that agroecology is the best way to fight climate change, as it provides more carbon storage in the soil. Besides that it stimulates water conservation through Water Retention Landscapes. These are landscapes designed to keep the wasting of rainwater to a minimum. "Fortunately, no one can prohibit or restrict rainfall!" Saad says.
