Palestine Fair Trade Association

Trees for Life

A Project to Plant Tens of Thousands of Olive Trees in Palestine


   In partnership with PFTA partners in Canada, the US, and Europe, PFTA is launching the Trees for Life campaign.  The campaign goal is to plant tens of thousands of olive trees in Palestine. The campaign is run by PFTA and aims to both empower Palestinian farmers and enhance their economic and production capacities.


   Trees for Life will plant thousands of olive trees
in Palestine every year in the period between Tree Day (February 15) and Land Day (March 30). Besides its development aspect, this program helps connect the Palestinian farmers and producers in the fair trade movement in Palestine to the grassroots fair trade movement in Europe and North America in a meaningful way. It is a medium to connect the Palestinian grassroots groups to the solidarity they have worldwide. The Trees for Life project is solely funded by grassroots movements abroad and solely invested in the Palestinian fair trade movement in Palestine.


   PFTA and its partners in Europe and North America are committed to finding many ways to benefit farmers in Palestine. This project will help offset the enormous destruction of trees by the Israeli army, Israeli settlers, and the Israeli segregation wall in Palestine in order to keep Palestine livable and keep Palestinian roots alive in the land of Palestine. Trees for Life will provide individual Palestinian farmers with 25 to 50 new olive tree seedlings (3 years old) to plant and nurture in order to renew their decimated groves.


Recipient Selection


   Farmers that are interested in participating in the Trees for Life tree planting project complete an application through PFTA coordinators in the village or directly at the PFTA office in Jenin. All applications are reviewed by the PFTA office in Jenin and allocations will be granted based on meeting the following conditions and according to the approved priorities:

• Applicant must be a certified member of the Palestine Fair Trade Association program for the production of olive oil. If a new farmer, applicant must demonstrate readiness to become fair trade certified and be willing to implement fair trade guidelines.
  
  
• Applicant must own a land suitable for the number of trees applied for.
  
  
• Applicant must demonstrate capacity to care for and nurture trees.
  
  
• Applicant must be ready to prepare land for a collective tree plantation day that will be set for the specific village. All trees must be planted the day of delivery. Representatives of PFTA will deliver and distribute the trees and insure prompt planting. Farmers must have land ready and dug prior to delivery.
  

• Small farmers
  
  
• Farmers that have lost trees to the Israeli destruction and uprooting war machines.
  
  
• Women that own their own land and are interested in farming.
  
  
• Young starter farmers that have inherited or acquired land.