Majdi Ghannam lives in Aqqaba, south of Jenin and farms both olives and almonds. He works on his farm, and his brother’s, in addition to working as a teacher.
Majdi’s family has been farming for generations, and Majdi grew up working with his father in the fields. Alongside his teaching job, Majdi had a few field crops such as sesame and wheat, but when Canaan Palestine introduced the opportunity to grow and sell Fairtrade certified almonds and olives to international markets these crops became a viable proposition.
..I share my tasks with the bees…
A year in the almond groves
Taking care of almond trees requires care all the year round, starting in winter when the trees are pruned and organic manure is spread to improve the fertility of the soil. Majdi pays a lot of attention to insect activity – in February he needs to keep the almond wasp at bay, and in Spring he says, “I share my tasks with the bees and other insects. I cut back the grass, while the bees take care of pollination.”
In July the almond hulls start to change colour from green to yellowish-brown, signalling the time to harvest. They are hulled, sun-dried for at least a week, and then shelled to get the beautiful golden kernel that is then sorted and packaged at Canaan.
The impact of Fairtrade
“Agriculture is vital to us,” says Majdi. “Being able to sell almonds and olives to markets around the world enables us to devote ourselves to the land and keep farming it, as we have done for millennia.”
He adds, “supplying Fairtrade certified products, and the sustainable trading relationship it enables, has improved our livelihoods and is a source of support for our resilience and attachment to the land.”
“Our land is still flourishing and providing a living thanks to all those who choose to buy from Palestine, and to buy Fairtrade.”
Being able to sell almonds and olives to markets around the world enables us to devote ourselves to the land and keep farming it, as we have done for millennia
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