About PARC
Departments
Reports
Branches & Offices
Media
C O R D A
Guest Book
Links
Contact Us
Main Page
 
 




Introduction

The Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC) has its origins in the mid seventies when a group of Palestinian school students started voluntary work and subsequently established the voluntary Higher Committee. Although they had to travel to pursue their education, the students maintained their contacts during their annual vacation. With their return in the early eighties the voluntary work was divided into specialized committees of which one was the Agricultural Relief Committee, named by the people to follow the example set by the popular and well-established Medical Relief Committee.

The first formal meeting was held in Jericho in May 1983. The founders were all recently graduated agronomists and young farmers from the Jordan Valley area. Initially, they refused any foreign support which was seen as being politically led and contributing to the continuation of occupation and contrary to the aim of an independent Palestinian state. Instead, members covered their own expenses or used contributions from the better-off members of the committee. The first external support accepted came from the Palestinian Welfare Association at the end of 1986. The first budget was in 1987 - the year the Intifada began.

The members of the voluntary group worked under difficult political, economic and agricultural conditions to re-establish the important roles of agronomists and extension workers as well as to carry out vital grassroots organizing particularly with the poor and marginalized farmers. They built their success on day to day support during the Intifada through to countering Israeli political policies which aimed to destroy Palestinian agriculture against which they held campaigns to defend land from confiscation. The members learnt from their experiences, built on their successes and worked to overcome mistakes to continue moving forward. The evidence of their hard work can be witnessed in our beloved Palestine.

With the advent of the Palestinian Authority, PARC recognized the importance of reviewing its activities and clarifying its role, as well as assisting the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture to identify its role. This has allowed PARC to continue its work as an agricultural development institution offering unique services to its target group. The main aim is, as always, to encourage the people’s participation in solving their problems and develop a democratic atmosphere.

The achievements of 1996 have been an important step in the institution’s progress on the ground. PARC will always work towards the real development of our Palestinian civil society basing itself on professional cooperation, initiative, hard work and justice. With the help of our friends, governments and partners working in human and agricultural development locally and internationally, PARC can continue to support and serve the farmers in their struggle to establish our independent state of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital.


SECTION 1: The general situation in 1996

1.1 Political events

There was an acute deterioration in the political situation from the beginning of 1996. The tense situation was caused by the continued closure imposed by the Israeli military authorities, continued attacks by Israeli settlers and military forces against the civilian population, increased land confiscations for settlements and roads, continued economic deterioration and a number of bomb explosions in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Israeli measures against East Jerusalem Palestinians have also escalated including attempts to deprive them of their identity cards and their right to live as citizens in the city.

The Israeli elections and the coming to power of the Likud government escalated tension and led to a slowdown in negotiations. Many issues are still outstanding including refugees, borders, water and Jerusalem. The peace process almost collapsed and the area seemed to be heading towards confrontation. The worsening economic situation and the opening of the tunnel in the old city of Jerusalem in September resulted in violent clashes killing over 80 and injuring over 1000 Palestinians.

The political conditions and related economic situation have given Palestinians a different view of the peace process and we now believe the interim agreements need to be changed impartially and positively to ensure a just permanent status for both parties. The Hebron Agreement was one positive step but shows the long and difficult negotiation process. There is now international recognition that the Palestinians are serious about the peace process, and that they need assistance in defining and creating their political status as well as putting pressure on the Israelis to respect signed agreements. It is clear that the political situation in this region will keep changing and the instability will continue in future. We hope however, that the Israeli government will have a vision of peace and recognize the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people in the final status negotiations. Peace should be our priority if our region is to develop and prosper.

Agriculture

The effect of the political situation on the agricultural sector has been enormous and PARC expects a decrease of around 20% in the gross income of agricultural production for 1996 compared with 1992 levels.

Palestinian agriculture is particularly sensitive to the political situation in several ways. First, it is vital that marketing vegetables, fruit and flowers is carried out quickly and smoothly because of their highly perishable nature. In 1996, the closure has been permanent, curfews and blockades have increased and the movement of Palestinian goods between the West Bank and Gaza and into Israel have been severely restricted. This had a huge impact on marketing agricultural products with levels lower than the previous year and even below those of 1993, that is before the signing of the peace agreement.

Second, the rate of land confiscation has accelerated reaching the unprecedented level of 130 thousand dunums. Vast areas of fertile agricultural land were confiscated to open by-pass roads for use by Israeli settlers. Settlers uprooted trees and attacked farmers sometimes even killing them. On many occasions farmers have been prevented from


reaching their land due to curfews and blockades and it was forbidden for farmers to open drainage or irrigation to their land.

In addition to these political constraints, the agricultural sector has been overlooked in terms of support. Pledged budgets for agricultural development and infrastructure from the PA, donors and the World Bank were minimal. Only 3% of all financial assistance to the Palestinian people was directed towards agriculture. Even though the attention given to agriculture by local and international NGOs increased slightly (with the implementation of small projects to a total cost of under US$10 million as estimated by PARC) realistically the overall impact is minimal when compared to losses for the sector in 1996 of four times that level. However, these organizations have been instrumental in helping to change the view towards agriculture. The importance of agriculture for food and employment generation is increasingly realized and more ambitious plans for developing the sector are being presented for 1997.

The problems faced by the agricultural sector do not only have political and economic roots. The situation worsened even more due to the lack of rain and the increase in the cost of animal feed. This had a particularly severe impact on small farmers.

It is vital that in 1997 the agricultural sector is given the attention it warrants with higher levels of funding to ensure sectoral development and growth and to survive in the face of the problems and crises it currently faces.


1.3 PARC as an NGO

1996 witnessed an unstable relationship between the PA and Palestinian NGOs which is reflected in unresolved issues such as the legal framework determining this relationship and the division and complementarity of tasks for development in Palestine and for building a Palestinian civil society. Several meetings and workshops were held which were instrumental in reducing the gap, but even so more concerted effort is needed to create an effective working relationship.

In agriculture in particular, coordination between the PA and Palestinian NGOs has increased. Several meetings and workshops were held and joint activities have been implemented. This has helped to create a more cohesive view of agriculture for all institutions, both governmental and non-governmental. PARC played an important and positive role both in meetings with the PA and between NGOs themselves. This was demonstrated when PARC presented its progress reports, 3-year plan and 1997 workplan.

PARC worked closely with other institutions in the rural sector in the fields of agriculture, culture, youth and health, and set up joint programs. PARC employees played an important role in the activities of the Network of Palestinian NGOs, especially in Gaza. We also had improved coordination with the Palestinian Ministries of Agriculture, Youth, Education and Municipal Affairs.

Despite this progress, the relationship between the PA and the Palestinian NGOs needs to be discussed further and we hope that 1997 will witness a further reduction in the gap between the views of both parties and will lead to agreement and joint cooperation.


SECTION 2: Administration

Throughout 1996 an important aim for PARC was to develop its intellectual and strategic planning levels, and to work towards building a strong institution which depends on the loyalty of its staff and the help of its friends and volunteers.

Despite the sensitivity of the political situation and the consequent pressure the institution and its employees faced, PARC increased its popularity, leadership and strong presence within all levels of society: from direct beneficiaries, institutions and NGO's to the PA and Ministries. Instrumental in this success has been our new policy of transparency.


2.1 Human Resources

1996 saw the introduction of important administrative developments which are considered a turning point for PARC and a large step towards achieving high levels of professionalism and efficient working practices.

The main steps taken were as follows:

  • Re-structuring the General Assembly to improve representation and effectiveness and electing a new Board of Trustees and Chairperson.
  • Issuing all staff with new contracts with salary adjustments and revised job descriptions. Severance pay was made to staff for their past period of employment.
  • Registration of PARC in Palestine and submission of an income tax statement for the workers.
  • Developing an improved medical and accident insurance policy for the workers.
  • Resolving ownership problems including protecting guarantees and separating services projects from other projects.
  • Renting and equipping 3 new locations and developing an improved communication system between all centers and locations.
  • Developing a new transportation system and revising the travel expenses system to improve levels of control.
    " " Improving relations with the Gaza branch particularly ensuring coherent development and increased integration and information exchange, participation in planning and revised budgeting procedures.
  • Holding brainstorming sessions and discussion meetings to develop intellectual thinking in the institution.
  • Devising an improved system for monitoring staff working hours.


(i) Staff Levels

During 1996 there was a large increase in the number of projects implemented in the West Bank and Gaza and in their budgets. This required increasing the number of staff but PARC believes this is now at a stable level. Even so, there is still some imbalance in the distribution of work loads and participation of employees in project implementation and PARC is working to improve its systems to promote efficiency.

Core Program Employees: Core program employees increased by over 15% from 77 to 89 (plus the 3 UNAIS project workers). PARC believes it has now reached a stable staffing level. The following table shows a breakdown of staff:

Year

Total no. of workers

Women

Vets and agronomists

No. with university degrees

No. with diploma degrees

1995

80

24

38

60

7

1996

92

33

42

66

9

The following significant changes have occurred:
  • The proportion of women staff has increased from 30% to 36%.
  • Technical staff make up the majority of PARC's staff with 36 male and female agronomists and 6 vets (without considering the technicians working on a project basis).
  • The staff are highly educated: 66 have university degrees and 9 have diplomas.
  • Core program staff in the Gaza branch increased from 17 to 23, a 35% increase.

Project Employees: In 1996 25 workers were employed on a project basis, eg at the Gaza training center, the job creation project and jam factories. 22 male and female agronomists participated in PARC projects through the one year training courses and received monthly incomes. The additional administrative costs of these project staff is significant.

Attendance: After deducting weekends and public holidays there are 300 working days in a year. 10% of t employees worked over 300 days in the past year and 16% worked more than 290 days. Since 15% of the employees joined PARC three months after the beginning of the year, this figure will increase. In fact more than 40% of the employees contributed to 290 work days and above during the year. These figures are considered very positive locally taking into consideration the disruptive political situation we face.


(ii) Transparency and Reporting

PARC has always believed strongly in the importance of the participation of the target group in designing the development plans for rural areas as this leads not only to the development of the institution, but to the grassroots and the community in general. In addition, participation of the community in designing and implementing the plans helps in developing and increasing the awareness of the target group during implementation. This principle is extended to the monitoring and evaluation of all aspects of our work. As well as the target group, PARC is involving those who do not receive the services and people from other organizations in this process.

To further increase transparency, PARC published detailed project progress in local papers as this gives wider exposure than using our own newspapers and newsletters only. This campaign has started with the agricultural roads projects and we published an address and telephone number for questions or suggestions from the public. PARC plans to publish similar information and reports on all its activities and projects.

PARC reviewed its 1997 workplan with official institutions including the Ministry of Agriculture and the Regional Agricultural Directorates and Governors. This will help develop complementary services for the target groups and prevent duplication.

2.2 Training

The Training Unit's 1996 plan prioritized training managerial staff to enhance their management skills because of the impact training has on the organization's development and on staff performance. Short training courses, workshops, seminars, brain-storming sessions and periodic meetings were all part of this program.

A total of 51 staff from the West Bank participated in 33 external training courses, amounting to 1205 training hours. 129 staff participated in 6 training courses specifically tailored for them inside PARC. These courses focused on development issues relating to the main aims of PARC.

The overall training activities and the number of workers who participated in one course or more during the year 1996 can be summarized as follows:
  • Training held through other institutions - 51 participants in 33 courses.
  • Training held through internal courses - 129 participants in 6 courses.
  • The participation of the managerial staff was 139 or 85% and the proportion of technical staff was 23 participants or 15%.


(i) Female Agronomist Training Courses in the North

51 training sessions were held and trainees participated in 4 complementary courses averaging 29 days. The trainees also participated in 5 workshops and training in 7 food processing factories. 78% of the theoretical program has been implemented and should be completed by the end of June 1997.


(ii) Male Agronomist training in Jericho:

87% of the program has been implemented including 19 theoretical sessions from a total of 22. Trainees also participated in 2 complementary courses. The practical training has involved field work from the first stage of preparing the soil for planting through to the marketing of produce.


(iii) Farmers' Training:

The program included the following:
" " Agricultural Machinery Maintenance: 9 courses were held with 128 farmers from different regions of the West Bank.
" " Beekeeping: 5 training courses were implemented and an average of 12 farmers participated in each course.
" " Greenhouse Vegetable Cultivation: This was conducted in Giva't Habiba for three days. The participants were from the Palestinian Farmer's Union.

This year there has been a noticeable increase in the number of courses and participants. Staff participation is based upon clear and concise approaches that are in line with PARC's interim and strategic plans. These approaches aim to raise the workers' level of performance so they can fulfill the requirements of their work and meet the required standards of service provision and development process.


(iv) Women's Administrative Training:

The aim of this program is to develop the administrative skills of women in small enterprises, and links particularly well with the implementation of the women credit program. It involves planning, evaluation, development, decision making, time management, book keeping, marketing, communications, managing groups and initiatives.

The beneficiaries of this program are the credit program women, women that own their own craft projects and other women leaders involved in PARC's Women's Unit activities. The courses were conducted in Turmuayya, Anza, Ein Sultan, Kharas, Tarqumia, Bethlehem, Nablus, Jerusalem and Hasasneh. Each course included 14 training sessions with an average of 35 training hours benefiting 150 trainees.

Complementing this program are specialized workshops for follow-up based on specific needs as identified locally. These are conducted every one or two months and were implemented in Maithaloon, Azzoun, Jericho, Bir Zeit, Yabroud and Burqa.

This program has shown the increasing need for administrative training and consequently the Women's Unit is now developing an administrative training team inside and outside the institution.


(v) Agricultural Training Institute:

During 1996 PARC established a hostel at the Jericho Agricultural Training Center and conducted an on-location training course for agronomists.

The plans for the Zababdeh Training Center were completed and the license was issued. Construction of the central buildings on 10 dunums of land purchased especially for the project has begun. Construction work is expected to be finished by the end of 1997, when the rural training activities can begin. The Zababdeh center is named after martyr Na'im Khadder from Zabadeh in Jenin.


2.3 Public Relations

The Public Relations Unit effectively accomplished several important tasks that resulted in stabilizing funding for PARC's programs and activities. The Unit maintained and developed relations with consortium members and supporting agencies and reported to them on all developments inside PARC.

The significant political events of 1996 required the Unit to issue statements detailing the losses and impact on agriculture. Appeals were circulated among PARC's partners asking the international community to fight against the closures that were having such drastic and traumatic effects on Palestinian farmers and the agricultural sector.

The Unit established and maintained good relations with national and international institutions and consulates, through meetings and field visits to PARC's projects. The Unit submitted several project proposals to some of these institutions. The PR Unit submitted requests from donors and partners and narrative and financial reports.

The Unit participated in meetings and workshops with all PARC's units. The financial reporting required close relations and cooperation with the Finance Unit and the Unit also developed close relations with other Units to facilitate the presentation of proposals and reporting. Through work a positive impact was made on the progress of PARC as an organization and in reinforcing its network of relations locally and internationally.

Some of the Unit's activities were:

The annual report of 1995, preparing new funding proposals in food security, organizing field trips to PARC's activities and projects for visiting national and international delegations, translating and editing reports and workshops within PARC as well as the logistic and administrative preparations for PARC's staff attending conferences, training programs and workshops held abroad. The Unit also shared in the core program evaluation, the semi annual report of 1996, the three year plan of operations for 1997 to 1999, and the gender focus program.

The PR Unit helped PARC to exceed expectations and plans through achieving the necessary funding to cover all the activities and submitting all necessary reporting and correspondence relating to the institution.


2.4 Consultancy Unit

The importance of the Consultancy Unit is now clearly seen within PARC and has played an important role in PARC's progress during 1996. The main priorities for the Unit revolved round the core program evaluation which now forms the basis for future work in PARC. It has strengthened methods of planning and evaluation, developed a framework for strategic planning which will begin in 1997, and prepared the 3-year Plan of Operations.

The Unit carried out the following evaluations in 1996:
" " Core program: see above
" " Women's Credit Program: with the assistance of the Women's Unit the Consultancy Unit completed the evaluation of the program and followed up on the implementation of the recommendation's.
" " Farmers' Union: The unit worked with the leadership of the Union to analyze its situation and its future work directions.
" " Falamiah Project: in cooperation with the French Consulate and Agropolis.
" " Agricultural Information Center: The unit worked with a specialized team composed of people from inside as well as outside PARC.

In addition to the strategic planning and plan of operations, the Unit participated in the organization and management of sustainable agriculture planning work, actively participates in the Gender Focus Program an assisted different units with their planning work. The Unit is setting up a PME system for PARC, the foundation of which is the plan of operations.

As required the Unit provides PARC with information and analysis of the current situation facing PARC. This year work focused on reparation of information on the effect of Israeli closures on the agricultural sector, presentation of a paper on the economic and political situation in 1995 for the consortium, and participation in several workshops and conferences conducted within and outside the institution.


2.5 Agricultural Information Center

The main activities of the Center were:

Al Mulhaq Al Zirai: 12 issues of the 12-page publication were issued, and 8,000 copies of each were distributed free of charge. Articles concentrated on the activities of PARC and new subject areas were introduced such as gender, democracy and human rights. 35% of the materials were related to different areas of extension.

PARC News: 2 issues were published and 500 English copies of each were distributed to institutions, friends and research institutions throughout the world.

Extension Publications: 12 extension publications in different agricultural issues were published for several units.

Books: A 122-page color illustrated book on sheep and a book on poultry were published..

Other Publications: Press releases were issued in English regarding the siege imposed on Palestinians and a report was distributed on the resulting losses in the agricultural sector. The Unit also translated a number of reports from within PARC.

Documentation: The Unit documented PARC's activities and celebrations and all publications and press releases concerning PARC in the local newspapers. 5 video cassettes were prepared about the Women's Unit, Plant and Animal Production Units and opening agricultural roads.

Relations with the Press: Over 50 reports describing PARC's activities and other agricultural news were sent to local newspapers. Interviews were held with the Palestinian Radio about PARC's activities, as well as 2 episodes on PARC itself. The Unit accompanied the foreign press on visits to PARC activities.



SECTION 3: Program Activities

3.1 Extension Unit

3.1.1 Summary of activities

The Extension Unit worked in three main programs in 1996: plant production, veterinary services and services projects. These programs were implemented through 8 in the Jenin, Tulkarem, Nablus, Ramallah, Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem and Jericho regions. The aim of these programs is to work through our 5 vets and 13 specialist agronomists to facilitate Palestinian rural people in solving their social and economic problems.

The extension services in the West Bank can be summarized as follows:
  • field visits to 118 agricultural locations, 100 lectures, 34 demonstrations and 13 trips for farmers. These activities offer extension services in plant production for 6421 farmers.
  • Publishing and re-issuing 31 pamphlets and producing 3 extension films.
  • Participating with the Ministry of Agriculture and other agricultural institutions in an olive oil production awareness campaign. 35 lectures were held for 905 farmers.
  • Finishing 4 and starting 5 new demonstration in the Jericho Station and set up the Falamiah Station for 7 demonstrations.
  • regular visits for breeders groups were held in 71 locations and 7905 animals were treated benefiting 12001 farmers. 53 lectures were conducted.
  • courses for 142 women breeders and 69 farmers were held and 34 demonstrations in veterinary services were conducted. 7 pamphlets were published.
  • The first stage of the terracing project was completed with 46304 meters constructed benefiting 485 farmers in 43 locations and employing 1379 workers.
  • agricultural roads of 242.1 Km were opened in 39 locations benefiting 3,667 farmers.
  • Supporting farmers in planting 58,443 marketable saplings in mountainous areas and 1,144 palm saplings in Gaza and Jericho benefiting 1,116 farmers in 142 locations.
  • Heavy and intensive land reclamation of 921 dunums in 12 locations benefited 140 farmers directly and around 1,000 farmers indirectly.
  • spraying campaigns were conducted in Capnodes, Winter oils and honey wasps directly benefiting 138 farmers and beekeepers and a large number indirectly.
    " " Distributing and planting 44,405 forest and decorative tree saplings among 206 schools in the West Bank and Gaza in coordination with the Ministries of Youth and Education.
  • Inoculating sheep against internal parasites in 46 locations benefiting 1,222 breeders.
  • Spraying campaigns and sheep dipping in 23 locations benefiting 1,238 breeders.
  • A joint project was completed with Save the Children Federation opening agricultural roads, fencing land, women's training and publishing extension films. An agreement for launching another project was signed.
  • dunums of land was fenced directly benefiting 128 farmers in 11 agricultural locations.


3.1.2 Plant Extension Program

(i) The extension activities

The program aimed to raise farmers' awareness of different agricultural issues which are environmental and human friendly. This was achieved through training and cooperation with farmers covering the issues of olive trees, preniun trees, pesticides, chemicals, plastic houses and vegetables by the following activities

Area

Lectures

Demonst-rations

Field Visits

Farmer’s Trips

No of locations

No of Beneficiaries

Hebron

27

18

176

0

24

1217

Bethlehem

16

4

92

0

13

642

Ramallah

8

2

80

2

13

464

Jericho

5

1

153

1

14

777

Nablus

17

5

244

5

21

1051

Tulkarem

23

3

196

2

17

1564

Jenin

4

1

105

1

16

724

TOTAL

100

34

1046

11

118

6421

The Farmer's Trips aimed to take farmers to visit different locations to exchange experiences, to acquaint them with other agricultural areas, and to offer the opportunity to see other projects in land reclamation, fruit trees and vegetables. The trips concentrated in the areas of Hebron and Jericho.
Demonstrations: concentrated on reducing pesticides and using natural substitutes such as plaster and verdigris to paint the trees trunks, shash, compost, pruning and the use of sulfur.
Field Visits: these aim to solve daily problems faced by farmers and strengthen the social relations between the extension workers and farmers.


(ii) Extension Publications

Maraya: The Unit published 4 seasonally appropriate extension issues each month and distributed the newspaper.
Extension Films: 3 extension videos in land reclamation, olives and the use of pesticides were filmed.
Pamphlets: Published and re-issued 31 agricultural pamphlets and distributed among farmers. The main pamphlets dealt with:
- Fruit trees (figs, plums, apples, peaches, pears,)
- Greenhouse vegetable cultivation mainly cucumbers, and rainfed vegetables.
- spraying techniques, solar sterilization, manure, plaster and verdigris.


(iii) Olive Oil Production Awareness Campaign

The Ministry of Agriculture invited all agricultural NGO's to cooperate in a national campaign to develop olive trees. 5 other NGO's participated besides PARC, 35 lectures were conducted benefiting 905 farmers. This is a pilot project for joint extension campaigns and the committee is developing the work further.



(iv) Demonstration Stations

Experiments and demonstrations are conducted at 3 main stations in Jericho, Falamiah and Gaza. The stations are under the administration of specialized extension workers. PARC's extension workers coordinate farmers meetings to look at the work procedures and exchange experiences. The activities were as follows:

Jericho Demonstration Station:
" " finishing cultivation experiments from 1995 and publishing the farmers report and evaluation.
" " the use of persuper hormones at different times to encourage flower formation in eggplants under plastic tunnels.
" " proficiency evaluation of the bumble bees in greenhouse tomato.
" " the evaluation of organic farming for squash, potatoes and thyme.
" " different early grape varieties.
" " the use of shash in fighting leaf miners in beans.
" " medicinal herbs such as thyme and parsley.

Falamiah Demonstration Station:
The work on developing an model village has finished including the construction of a demonstration to be used by farmers and extension workers in the Tulkarem area. The main activities were:
" " cultivation of fruit trees
" " cultivation of medicinal herbs.
" " organic vegetable farming.
" " reducing the amount of chemicals in plastic house cultivation.

Gaza Demonstration Station:
" " Demonstration of heat and chemical sterilization
" " Cultivation of onion varieties.
" " Biological pest control for watermelons.
" " Use of 'care-free' desalination machine for strawberries.
" " Cultivation of melons in plastic houses.


(v) Spraying Campaign (plant extension)

Capnodes Spraying Campaign: This campaign aimed to protect newly planted saplings against capnodes. This disease is considered the main threat to the success of new saplings. The spaying campaign was accompanied by an extension campaign, publishing an agricultural pamphlet about the disease and conducting workshops in every location. At a later stage support with the cost of the treatment was provided as follows:

Region

No of Beneficiaries

Amount of medicine / Kg.

No of locations

Bethlehem

19

190

5

Tulkarem

29

600

11

Hebron

16

190

9

TOTAL

64

980

25

Winter Oils: This campaign aimed to encourage farmers to use winter oils as a preventive spraying of almond trees and grapes to minimize subsequent infection and reduce the use of pesticides. The farmers who attended the workshops were supported and supplied with the oil at low prices. 75 liters of oil was distributed to 45 farmers for demonstration purposes on almond and apple trees and grapes.

Fighting Bee Wasps Campaign: This campaign was implemented with the beekeeping society in the Ramallah region only. The aim was to irradicate red bee wasp queens which have been disastrous to a large number of hives (630) during the past year.

The farmers have distributed advertisements in their locations encouraging farmers to kill the bee wasps and deliver the heads to the beekeeper, who delivers them to PARC in order to receive a bonus. This campaign was implemented in 9 locations with the cooperation of 29 beekeepers and 10,713 bee wasps were killed. This campaign helps one of our strategies for encouraging organized farmers groups.


3.1.3 Animal Extension Program and Veterinary Services

(i) Extension activities

Livestock suffered considerably during 1996 rapid inflation in concentrated fodder which forced the closure of farms and reduced the market price for sheep. The lack of rainfall this year will also add to the problems. The program aims to raise the level and quality of the products with the minimum cost of inputs, depending on local inputs and developing the personal ability of breeders through training and awareness raising. A symbolic fee is paid for the services received. Services were provided to 71 locations with a total number of 1955 regular vet and extension worker visits.

The following table illustrates the details:

Area

Visits to breeder groups

Medicinal cases

Beneficiaries

Lectures

No of locations

Jenin

273

961

2209

---------

15

Nablus

510

3417

2790

41

19

Tulkarem

582

3160

3416

3

16

Hebron

590

367

3586

9

21

TOTAL

1955

7905

12001

53

71

Visits to breeders: The vets conducted weekly visits to beneficiaries to treat sheep and offer extension services and advice in daily issues for breeding sheep and poultry, these services are offered to farmers paying monthly fees. Participation levels in paying the fees differs from one area to another, the Tulkarem area was the most successful, while in the Hebron area we were unable to convince farmers to pay this fee. The main aim of this fee is not financial but as an indicator of the benefits of these services.

Lectures: These concentrated on sheep breeding and poultry for men and women. The Women's Unit coordinated the vets visits because it is the women who rear sheep.

Medical treatment: If animals required treatment the veterinarian recommend a prescription or he gave the farmer instant medication from the budget.

Courses: These aimed to improve the breeders technical knowledge, and encourage the formation of breeders groups to assist them in solving problems and sharing experience and knowledge. 12 courses were conducted in the fields of sheep and poultry benefiting 142 women and 69 men in 12 locations.

Demonstrations: A total of 34 demonstrations were conducted concentrating on farm management including the use of agricultural records, numbering sheep, hormones and sponges. The demonstrations were conducted on farms and one in Beit Dajan farm.

Pamphlets: The Unit published a guide to sheep breeding and prepared a guide on poultry. The Unit re-issued 11 agricultural pamphlets, published 7 new pamphlets and a number of extension articles for the Maraya newspaper. The pamphlets are:
- Caring for new born lambs - Use of olive cake
- Gambouro - Nutrition during pregnancy
- External parasites - Miscarriage in sheep
- Reproduction


(ii) Beit Dajan Model Farm

This farm is located in Beit Dajan, in Nablus. The farm has 80 sheep bred by an active farmer. This model training project aims to cover technical aspects of extension and training for sheep breeders in the north. The training on the farm concentrates on managing sheep farms, agricultural records, demonstration of sponges, inoculation techniques, clipping hooves, delivery and calculation of costs. Training was offered to more than 250 breeders and university students. This farm like all other farms faced a huge problem due to the raise in fodder prices.

(iii) Parasites prevention program:

This program aimed to encourage farmers to prevent internal and external parasites in sheep, through the correct timing and methods to protect sheep benefiting productivity.

Fighting external parasites: The work was implemented through collective spraying campaigns against ticks and fleas in sheep barns. The work can be summarized as follows:

Region

No of locations