The work of the agricultural cooperative in Burin: overcoming obstacles

The agricultural cooperative in Burin (occupied West Bank) unites about 25 families who jointly cultivate approximately 25,000 square meters of land. The organization was founded in March 2020 by Ghassan Najjar and today numbers 25 members, most of whom are women. The association's activities extend beyond agronomy: the cooperative provides training for farmers in agroecology methods, including soil management and pest control without the use of chemicals, and also redistributes 15% of its revenue to social programs in the village.

This year, the farmers faced systematic destruction of assets. In mid-July, following a livestock grazing incident on the farm's territory, a group of individuals destroyed five greenhouses, damaging the plastic covers and irrigation systems. The damage from the plastic destruction alone is estimated at 30,000 shekels. Furthermore, a batch of 9,000 tomato seedlings worth 8,000 shekels was destroyed, which could not be planted due to the destruction of the greenhouses. According to Ghassan Najjar, over several weeks the cooperative lost more than 1,500 olive and other trees that were burned or uprooted. The wheat harvest was also affected: out of 10,000 square meters of crops, 7,000 square meters were burned before harvesting.

The cooperative's work is complicated by the fact that a significant portion of Burin's agricultural land regularly falls into areas closed by military orders. The association's members are forced to apply a strategy they call the "Tom and Jerry program": farmers go to their plots early in the morning, and upon the appearance of the military, they temporarily leave the area, returning after they have departed. Despite the fact that this is the seventh instance of vandalism against the greenhouses, the farmers continue to rebuild what was destroyed, viewing this work as a way to maintain their connection to the land.