This uncompromising quote is from Wael Hassoun, one of several farmers highlighted in the latest Trees for Life annual report which we are delighted to be able to share with you now.
View the Trees for Life 2025 Report here
Trees for Life, the tree planting programme run by Palestine Fair Trade Association (PFTA) continues to thrive thanks to your wonderful support and donations via Zaytoun, despite the increasing challenges in the West Bank. Your donations over the past year have enabled the distribution and planting of 47,500 olive saplings, and the PFTA has also distributed thousands of other young trees, and tonnes of landrace seeds.
For Palestinians, agriculture is more than just a means of livelihood—it is deeply intertwined with their history, identity, and resistance. Farming holds profound spiritual and cultural significance, serving as a powerful act of defiance against the ongoing efforts of the occupation to sever the connection between farmers and their land. Through cultivation, Palestinians assert their right to reclaim their lands, sustain their communities, and fight for food security.
Palestinian land is still being confiscated through settlement expansion, resource theft, bypass roads, and the construction of the separation wall. Farmers are often left helpless as their olive trees—symbols of Palestinian heritage and resilience—are uprooted. Many stand at locked gates along the Wall, hoping for access to tend, plant, or harvest crops on land that rightfully belongs to them. Young and small-scale farmers in particular face immense challenges in establishing and expanding their operations. Despite these hardships, the Palestine Fair Trade Association (PFTA) and solidarity groups have worked tirelessly to restore production and instil hope in affected farmers.
This year, restrictions have prevented many Palestinian farmers from harvesting their crops, particularly on lands near or beyond the Wall. These actions not only attempt to erase Palestinian cultural heritage but also deprive countless families of their primary source of income, exacerbating economic and social hardships in an already challenging reality.
I wish for these donations to continue supporting Palestinian farmers, helping us preserve our land from loss and settlement expansion.
Quote by Abdel Moati Haydariyah (an olive farmer who joined us in UK for Fairtrade Fortnight in 2012)
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