Israel / PalestineEmpowering women through vegetable gardens
Facts & figures
- Middle East
- Women's Empowerment
- 2022
- 250 unemployed women
- Beita Women’s Development Society
The Beita Women's Development Society (BWDS) are skillfully addressing concerns about food security by facilitating women's more active participation in the labour market, simultaneously contributing to both Palestinian welfare and women's financial inclusion.
Goal:
Promote food security and remove structural barriers that prevent women from having equal access to economic opportunities.
Objectives:
- Agricultural training and inputs: Provide women with the knowledge and resources to develop their own vegetable gardens, including fencing, watering systems, seeds and livestock.
- Economic empowerment: Enable women to improve family finances through both reduced expenditure on fresh produce and selling their surplus in local markets.
Description:
Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, nearly one third of the Palestinians (1.6 million people) could not afford nutritious food, with female-headed households particularly vulnerable. The pandemic only made this worse. This food insecurity issue has far-reaching consequences, affecting housing, clothing, education, and health expenses, as most Palestinians allocate more than half of their income to food.
BWDS identified home vegetable gardens as a practical solution, enhancing both food security and dietary diversity. However, challenges persisted due to water scarcity and inadequate agricultural management practices in the West Bank. In response, BWDS proactively embraced drip-irrigation techniques, addressing the crucial need for sustainable agricultural solutions in Palestine. Immediate attention to these issues is essential to safeguard Palestinian communities from a severe food crisis.
