THE PALESTINIAN AGRICULTURAL RELIEF COMMITTEES (PARC)

 

   The Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC) was founded in 1983 by a group of Palestinian agronomists responding voluntarily to the deterioration in agricultural extension programs in the Jordan Valley area of the West Bank as a result of the Israeli occupation by offering expert advice to marginalized, poor farmers in the area.This voluntary effort gained momentum and recognition over a short period of time, and, transformed into a non governmental organization dedicated to promoting sustainable development in rural areas in Palestine.

In 1986, PARC received the first outside funding from the Welfare Association (Palestine) and, in 1987, prepared its first annual budget.PARC played an instrumental role in providing extension services to Popular Committees during the 1987 Intifada, and gained wide recognition in the process. Over the years, PARC continued to gain momentum and managed to expand its constituency to include 130 staff members and 6,476 volunteers serving some 61,950 beneficiaries.

Through its accumulated experience and long-term vision, PARC has identified the following as its main priorities, which are reflected in its mission and strategic objectives catechism:

- Ensuring Long-Term Food Security – PARC’s projects and extension services focus on strengthening farmers’ abilities to sustain food security and impeding Israeli land confiscation policies through improving agricultural practices and encouraging the use of sustainable agricultural techniques, creating and introducing alternative water and energy resources, and creating agriculture and farming- related job opportunities.

- Empowering Rural Women and Increasing their Role in Society – Realizing that women in rural areas are marginalized and that the resources available to their development are limited, PARC has been designing its work to facilitate developing the skills of rural women and to improve their productive capacity while building their leadership skills and social organization abilities.

- Enhancing Institutional Building and Volunteerism Efforts – and being a strong advocate of democracy and civil society, PARC takes an active role in organizing volunteer campaigns and forging relationships with local civil society organizations to help them build their capacities and transfer technical and managerial know-how to such organizations.

- Training and Research Development – PARC aims to develop the skills and improve the abilities of its stakeholders.As such, special attention is given to training and research.

While continuing to pursue its priorities and long-term objectives, PARC has been responding to the changing needs of its beneficiaries due to changing political and socio-economic conditions.During the first five months of Al-Aqsa Intifada for example, PARC managed to reverse the increase in unemployment rates due to Israeli closure by creating 2,200 job opportunities in a number of villages. This was accomplished through land reclamation and environmental protection campaigns and projects.In addition, and during the same period, it focused its activities on replanting swept (bulldozed) lands and upgrading the agricultural infrastructure by building cisterns and agricultural access roads.

PARC, over the years, has become the leading organization serving Palestinian farmers and helping them overcome their problems. It has succeeded in reinstating farmers’ confidence in collective work and the values of volunteerism. With decentralized management philosophy, technical and support departments, and ten branches covering all West Bank and Gaza governates, PARC has managed to establish strong grassroots participation in all of its activities and projects. Thriving on the innovation of its pioneers, PARC is well on its way to becoming the model organization for rural development.