Salah Ziyoud
Salah Ziyoud is an olive farmer, and father of eleven children, from Sila Al-Harithiya, 10km north west of Jenin in the West Bank. He owns 12.5 dunums (1.25 hectares) of land that once stood empty and uncultivated. For many years, he worked as a taxi driver, striving to provide for his large family.
In 2020, Salah made a life-changing decision. After hearing from a friend about the “Trees for Life” programme run by the Palestinian Fair Trade Association (PFTA), he was inspired to restore his land to protect it from confiscation and as an investment in his family’s future. He left his job as a taxi driver and began reclaiming his land step by step, cultivating a portion each year according to his financial ability.
Today, Salah owns 200 olive trees, some of which have already started to bear fruit. This season, he produced 120 kilograms of olive oil — enough to meet his family’s needs, after years of having to purchase all their olive oil from the market. Until he has enough to sell, his elder children are helping with income.
Despite this progress, Salah faces significant challenges, especially the scarcity of water resources. Access to water remains his greatest obstacle to expanding and sustaining his agricultural work. He hopes to one day secure a water line from one of the artesian wells in the area, which would allow him to further develop his land and strengthen his family’s resilience.
I’ve instilled in my children the love of the land and olive trees. It is the land of our ancestors, a sacred land and we must take care to preserve it.
Salah Ziyoud
When I plant I feel inner peace and a deep connection because I am nurturing the land of Palestine