Enabling marginalised Palestinian olive farmers to access new markets.
Zaytoun is looking for project partners to support an agricultural cooperative initiative in Palestine with the aim of supporting marginalised farmers in securing livelihoods through the sale of their olive oil on a Fairtrade basis.
We are working with an agricultural cooperative in Palestine called Al Zaytouna. We have met with the organisers of Al Zaytouna many times and formed a relationship based on work, respect and solidarity.
In 2004 we secured a small grant from War on Want which enabled our Palestinian project partners to carry out a study and series of workshops to identify marginalised farmers in the Tulkarem and Qalqilya regions who formed new coops and work collectively to market their olive oil.
For the last 3 years Unicorn Cooperative Grocery in Manchester, who sell the olive oil, olive soap and za’atar, have funded cooperative development projects for the farmer coops in Palestine. Hadeel the Palestinian Fair Trade shop in Edinburgh has also supported the farmer coops with a grant in 2006.
“Zaytoun aims to support marginalised farmers in securing livelihoods through the sale of their olive oil on a fair trade basis.”
The Al-zaytouna cooperative annual conference in Palestine, September 2005Zaytoun will only work with suppliers who are operating on fair trade principles. However, a problem with fair trade is that the most marginalised farmers are not able to access the international fair trade market due to the lack of infrastructure and training. Zaytoun’s proposed project goals are to open up this
In 2010, Zaytoun is focusing on market access for products from women’s cooperatives in Palestine; specifically za’atar, maftoul and sun dried tomatoes. Funds from the former Fairtrade Cafe at St Mary’s Church, Islington, are supporting this work.
For the latest info on events where we will have Zaytoun stalls click here
Zaytoun are grateful to the support of The Funding Network in launching the Fairtrade Palestinian Olive Oil.
