Facebook : مزرعة الأمل البيئية
Bayan Iqtait grew up in a family that is fond of organic farming and practices it. She grew up listening to her father’s stories about Hawakeer (home gardens) and their connection to Palestinian heritage, which ignited her love for agriculture, especially planting roses. Although she studied and received training in practices other than agriculture, she soon found her calling and learned ecological farming through an educational course in her village “Rabud” in 2017.She began planting her house garden with the support of her father and family members.
Despite the difficulties she faced, including community doubts about her ability to produce, she achieved a stunning success. She managed to produce 1,000 kilograms of vegetables in the 200-square meter house garden in the first summer season. The production included zucchinis, cucumis, string beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, chili peppers and other types of produce.
In the beginning, it was not easy for Bayan to market her chemical- free products, even when she sold them in Al Hisbah (the local farmers market) at less than the market price. At the time, she felt the need to raise awareness on the importance of healthy chemical-free products. Therefore, she started visiting her acquaintances and gifting them some of her produce to increase their knowledge on agroecological farming. She also promoted her agroecological products through her Facebook page and sold them directly in her village and in neighboring villages. Months later, Bayan wanted to expand the scope of her agroecological farming by adding fruit trees to her farm. She made the longest raised bed in Palestine using agroecological methods, with a length of 100 meters, where she grows a number of rain-fed crops such as grapes, zucchinis, and cucumis.
In addition to her agroecological production of chemical-free and healthy products, Bayan produces and stores various baladi (heirloom) seeds such those of string beans, zucchinis, squash, peppers, and pumpkin. She seeks to expand and develop this dream, and create her ecological farm on one dunum of land, that she that she has named “Al Amal Farm” which translates to “Hope Farm”.
Bayan is proud to be the youngest agroecological farmer in Palestine, as she began her journey in Agroecological farming at the age of 22. It is worth mentioning that Bayan was among a group of women in the village of Rabud who adopted the approach of agroecology and implemented it in house gardens and backyards. Most of the agricultural activities in the village have become clean and chemical-free. Thus, Rabud has set a successful example for the adoption of agroecology at the scale of a village.
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Product Availability: Currently seasonal.
Product Selling Points: Directly to the consumer, Al Hisbah (Central Market) in Hebron, and through the Facebook page.
Volunteering Opportunities: Planting, harvesting, and establishing new raised beds. Please contact in advance.
Other Services: Tours of the village for tourists.