{"id":5016,"date":"2019-06-08T08:29:19","date_gmt":"2019-06-08T08:29:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jahalin.org\/?p=5016"},"modified":"2020-02-01T08:48:52","modified_gmt":"2020-02-01T08:48:52","slug":"hebron-farmers-struggle-for-existence-in-face-of-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jahalin.org\/archive\/?p=5016","title":{"rendered":"Hebron farmers struggle for existence in face of climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Eastern Slope of the Israeli-occupied West Bank was once fertile grazing land for Bedouin communities. Now it is parched desert <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mustafa,
Mustafa, a shepherd, told MEE that he takes his livestock out to graze just out of aesthetic and tradition (MEE\/Megan Giovanetti)<\/strong> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Megan Giovannetti<\/a> in Hebron, Occupied West BankPublished date: 8 June 2019 08:00 UTC <\/p>\n\n\n\n

B ahjat Jabarin stands on a large hill with a local Bedouin farmer, Hassan Basayta, surveying the parched\u00a0slopes of the Hebron hills. The view is\u00a0partially blocked by an old Israeli military base adorned with graffiti.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow we are in the middle of spring and you can see [only] desert,\u201d says Jabarin, director of the Palestinian Environment Quality Authority (EQA) office in Hebron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hassan Basayta, known as Abu Zeyad, is the local council head of four Bedouin communities – Azwadeen, Al Najada, Um al Kheir, and Khashm Aldaraj – located in what’s called the\u00a0Eastern Slope, an area east of Yatta city\u00a0under the Hebron governorate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"This
This area of land in the Eastern Slope marks a transitional zone between the arid and semi-humid highlands (MEE\/Megan Giovanetti)<\/strong> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of five climate and geographical belts in historic Palestine, the Eastern Slope is also\u00a0the region in the West Bank most affected by climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A cross between arid and semi humid highlands, the area is more susceptible to desertification and fluctuation in annual rainfall, amplifying existing\u00a0water scarcity conditions due to climate change and the illegal Israeli military occupation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fleeing desertification<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

” Before 30 years, we were fully dependent on grazing for our animals without supplementary feeds,\u201d says Abu Zeyad, adding that the Bedouin communities in the area are fully\u00a0engaged in the agricultural sector through livestock raising and breeding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now\u00a0with the drying and restricted access of rangeland, livestock owners and breeders are \u201c100 percent\u201d dependent on spoon feeding their animals with costly feed that comes from outside of Palestine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Sheds
Sheds like Abu Zeyad’s are used for intensive breeding, which is not how these Bedouin farmers traditionally raise and breed livestock (MEE\/Megan Giovanetti)<\/strong> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A ccording to Jabarin, the EQA director, two-thirds of the Bedouin communities have migrated away from the area\u00a0seeking water resources and grazing land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most moved to the north of the West Bank where temperatures are cooler and they can continue raising livestock. But others were forced to leave the practice altogether and look\u00a0for alternative income sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Witnessing hundreds of goats and sheep forlornly grasp at the last remaining shrubbery in a vastly dry land makes the effects of climate change in the Eastern Slope palpable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet when asked what the biggest challenge he has in maintaining his agricultural lifestyle as a Bedouin, Abu Zeyad insists, \u201cfirst of all, [it’s] the Israeli occupation\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Occupation worsens conditions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The entire Eastern Slope is classified as rangeland. Before the 1967 war, around 2.3 million dunums were \u201ccommon land\u201d for these tribal communities, Abu Zeyad says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the Israeli occupation of the West Bank in 1967 until about 2005, access to these grazing-only zones was completely prohibited for the local Palestinian population. According to Abu Zeyad, maybe 300,000 dunums of land are left for grazing in the entire West Bank. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

0s in this season it was green. But now, it\u2019s just a desert without any species’– Abu Zayed, farmer<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of this grazing land was confiscated and used as military bases, settlements \u00a0and training camps. Because of the military use of bulldozers, tanks, and bombs, Abu Zeyad told MEE that the fertile layers of the soil have changed forever. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are no plants there although it is the peak of spring,\u201d he explained. \u201cBefore the \u201870s in this season it was green. But now, it\u2019s just a desert without any species.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overgrazing and uprooting of diverse species is another problem that has ruined animal breeding in the Eastern Slopes forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut what is the cause?\u201d Nayef Basayta (Abu Abdullah), a fellow farmer and tribal leader, asks knowingly. \u201cTwo things,\u201d he continued. \u201cBecause of climate change and longer, dryer summer seasons [and] because of land confiscation for [Israeli] military bases, walls, etc….\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Land confiscation and movement restrictions imposed on Palestinian farmers by the Israeli occupation decreases areas of range land, Abu Abdullah explained. \u201cThis all leads to overgrazing in the limited open areas and to desertification.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Water is already scarce in this marginalised climate zone and the Israeli occupation has dramatically made things\u00a0worse. According to Nedal Katbeh-Bader, the minister advisor on climate change for the EQA, rainfall is expected to decrease by more than 30 percent by the end of the century. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, \u201cthe\u00a0Israelis are controlling 100 percent of Palestinian water,\u201d Katbeh-Bader says. \u201cAnd more than 82 percent for their purposes,\u201d meaning for Israeli use either inside the green line or on illegal West Bank settlements. The rest they sell back to the Palestinians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cost of climate change<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mustafa, a shepherd from the al-Hawamdeh tribe in the village of al-Samoa, told MEE that everyone in his village needs to purchase tanks of water from the Palestinian municipality since there is no constructed water network. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subsidised from the government, each nine cubic metre tank costs 150 ILS ($41). \u201cBut they don\u2019t give us what we need,\u201d Mustafa says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom one week to one and a half weeks each tank [lasts].\u201d He continued to explain that from the \u201cblack market\u201d, he can get a tank for 300 ILS ($83), which is just not economically feasible to maintain their agrarian lifestyle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Abu
Abu Zeyad is the local council head of four Bedouin communities located in the Eastern Slope of the West Bank (MEE\/Megan Giovanetti)<\/strong> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Palestinians in these southern areas of the West Bank also do not have proper wastewater networks, which affects access to natural water resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Jabarin, the Hebron governorate has 380 registered fresh water springs but, \u201ceighty percent are now fully contaminated and are not potable,\u201d he says. \u201cAccording to our Palestinian law, they are not all fit even for agriculture.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roughly 75 percent of the Bedouin communities in the Eastern Slope\u00a0depend on livestock farming for their main income. And these people are \u201cvery poor and very weak\u201d groups, says Abu Abdullah. \u201cThey are far from central government and employment in other sectors is difficult,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can see the impact on their lifestyle, the way they live.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since these farmers are now completely dependent on \u201cintensive breeding\u201d – meaning non-free range and non-grazing – most of their income goes to feedstuff. One ton of feedstuff is about 1500 NIS per ton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not feasible,\u201d says Abu Abdullah. Bedouins in the Eastern Slope continue the agricultural practice of livestock breeding, \u201cjust for our own consumption of daily production,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neglected zone<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeventy-five percent of the cost for animal raising goes to feedstuff,\u201d Abu Zeyad says. \u201cWe save just 25 percent for living,\u201d and that\u2019s not counting labour costs, which his entire 20-person family takes part in. If he did, his profits would be in the red.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBreeding is by our ethics and emotions, [its] not economical,\u201d Abu Abdullah insisted. \u201cFrom tradition we have livestock and sheep,\u201d which he says is the main reason why these farmers maintain their practice, despite their impoverished conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe economic system is going for the worst,\u201d Jabarin comments. \u201cIt\u2019s a marginalised zone [already] and there is not sufficient support from the government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Jabarin, most Bedouin communities throughout the West Bank are dealing with similar problems. In EQA reports on climate change strategies, however, the worst impact is on the eastern zones and southern part of the West Bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a neglected zone, not just during the Palestinian Authority,\u201d Jabarin states, \u201cbut during the 50 years of Israeli occupation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps luckily, bedouins are persistent. Jabarin points out it is very difficult to change the mentality of bedouins. \u201cThey are bedouins and they strive in order to maintain [the bedouin] way of life,\u201d he says hopefully.\uf09a \uf099 \uf0e0 \uf1e0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Eastern Slope of the Israeli-occupied West Bank was once fertile grazing land for Bedouin communities. Now it is parched desert Mustafa, a shepherd, told MEE that he takes his livestock out to graze just out of aesthetic and tradition (MEE\/Megan Giovanetti) By Megan Giovannetti in Hebron, Occupied West BankPublished date: 8 June 2019 08:00 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jahalin.org\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5016"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jahalin.org\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jahalin.org\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jahalin.org\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jahalin.org\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5016"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jahalin.org\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5021,"href":"https:\/\/www.jahalin.org\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5016\/revisions\/5021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jahalin.org\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jahalin.org\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jahalin.org\/archive\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}